The Capitals and Penguins conclude their three-game season series Saturday night in Pittsburgh. (8 p.m. on ABC and ESPN+). Washington is 1-1-0 versus Pittsburgh this season and have won three-straight games at PPG Paints Arena. The Capitals currently trail the Penguins by four points in the battle for the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.
MORNING SKATE
Sonny Milano did not make the trip to Pittsburgh. He’s out a week with an upper body injury, possibly longer, per team. Milano took a big hit from Connor Murphy on Thursday, but finished the game.
Greetings from Pittsburgh pic.twitter.com/I2pZU94ZWO
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) March 25, 2023
No lines were reported at the Capitals morning skate. The Capitals projected lines for Saturday night courtesy of NHL.com:
Alex Ovechkin — Dylan Strome — Tom Wilson
Aliaksei Protas — Nicklas Backstrom — T.J. Oshie
Anthony Mantha — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Craig Smith
Nicolas Aube-Kubel — Nic Dowd — Conor Sheary
Martin Fehervary — John Carlson
Rasmus Sandin — Nick Jensen
Alexander Alexeyev — Trevor van Riemsdyk
Darcy Kuemper
Charlie Lindgren
Scratched: Matt Irwin
STAT OF THE DAY
Today’s stat of the day plots the Capitals special teams index (power play percentage plus penalty kill percentage) since mid-November. [Click to enlarge]
The index has been on a relatively steady rise since the middle of February, and currently sits at a season high of 104.9. The Capitals now have the 14th-best power play and the 5th-best penalty kill in the league.
DOWN ON THE FARM
Connor McMichael recorded his 15th goal of the season Friday night against the Amerks. It was his third goal in the last four games. McMichael now has points in six straight and eight of his last nine games.
Connor McMichael on the door step for his 15th goal of the season. Joe Snively with the sweet dish. C-Mac is heating up, has points in six straight and 8 of last 9 games. #ALLCAPS #HBH pic.twitter.com/xJxFdkRwqE
— Capitals Prospects (@jon_m_sorensen) March 25, 2023
Joe Snively almost pulled off the shot of the game against the Amerks last night. The between-the-legs shot attempt came on the end of a nice feed from Connor McMichael.
Connor McMichael feeds Joe Snively, who tries to go between the legs. #ALLCAPS #HBH pic.twitter.com/eOiCLjkI6g
— Capitals Prospects (@jon_m_sorensen) March 25, 2023
Mitchell Gibson and Harvard fell to Ohio State, 8-1 in the first round of the 2023 NCAA men’s hockey tournament on Friday, thus ending their 2022-23 season. Gibson stopped 15 of 22 shots faced before being relieved. Gibson, a graduating senior, has yet to sign with the Capitals, and could sign or become an unrestricted free agent in the days ahead.
Chase Clark and Quinnipiac advanced to the second round on Friday with a 3-0 win over Merrimack.
On Friday night Bears head coach Todd Nelson said Vinny Iorio (upper body injury) and Lucas Johansen (upper body injury) are “probably a day away” from returning. They are on the road trip and could go tonight at Syracuse.
SHAVINGS
-
Arizona Coyotes minority owner, Andrew Barroway arrested in Aspen. [Aspen Daily News]
-
ESPN Films Announces 30 for 30 Documentary “I’m Just Here for the Riot” on 2011 Vancouver Stanley Cup Riot. [ESPN]
-
2023 Men’s Frozen Four: Bracket, scores, schedule for the college hockey championship. [NCAA]
- And finally, “The Hockey Guy” discusses Olaf Kolzig: