Feb. 27 vs. Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena
Time: 7:00 p.m.
TV: MNMT
Stream: MonSports.net/Stream
Radio: 106.7 The Fan, Capitals Radio 24/7
Washington Capitals (27-21-9)
Detroit Red Wings (32-20-6)
The Caps finish up a set of back-to-back games – and the February portion of their 2023-24 schedule – on Tuesday night in Detroit against the Red Wings. Tuesday’s tilt marks the first time the Caps and Wings have tangled this season, and they’ll meet two more times down the stretch. The Capitals will host the Wings in Washington on March 26 and the two teams will meet once more in Motown as well, on April 9.
Hosting the Ottawa Senators on Monday night in the District, the Caps got off on the good foot in the front end of the back-to-backs, doubling up Ottawa by a 6-3 count. The Caps erupted for four goals in the first period – their fourth four-goal period of the season and their second in succession at home; Washington scored four times in the third period of its previous home game – a Feb. 20 tilt against the Devils.
Aliaksei Protas started the scoring in the game and finished with his second three-point game of the season and his NHL career, and Hendrix Lapierre scored each of Washington’s last two goals for his first multi-goal game in the NHL. Beck Malenstyn also scored for the Caps, who got power-play goals from both John Carlson and Max Pacioretty in the first period.
On a night in which he was honored for surpassing Calle Johansson (983) for most games played by a defenseman in Washington’s franchise history, Carlson broke a 19-game dry spell with his second power-play goal of the season, and the 145th goal of his NHL career, pushing him past Sergei Gonchar (144) for second place among blueliners in franchise history.
The veteran defenseman’s timing was impeccable; fans had barely settled back into their seats after giving Carlson a lengthy ovation following a stirring tribute to him on the overhead scoreboard during the game’s first television timeout. Ten seconds into Washington’s power play – and just two seconds after Dylan Strome swept a draw cleanly to him – Carlson put Gonchar in his rear view mirror.
“It was a cool little moment, especially after all that,” says Carlson. “It was one of those things you can’t make up, when good things happen.”
The Capitals’ six-goal outburst enabled Darcy Kuemper (18 saves) to earn his 13th victory of the season.
Washington is now 4-0-1 in its last five games, a span in which Protas has piled up two goals and seven points.
“One of his best games of the season,” exudes Caps’ coach Spencer Carbery of Protas’ Monday night performance. “He had three or four instances where he used his size, his brain and his skating to protect a puck, or to make a play, even when he had defenders draped all over him. If he can develop that, it’s such a unique skill because of his size, and his reach, and his skating ability. I was really proud of him for showing that and making a few plays. He gets rewarded offensively with the goal and two assists.
“And Lappy, coming in right away, steps right into that fourth line center role. I thought that line was arguably our best line, start to finish.”
Already missing defenseman Martin Fehervary (lower body) and forwards Nic Dowd (upper body) and T.J. Oshie (upper body), Washington also played without Nick Jensen (lower body) and Sonny Milano (illness) in Monday’s win. Pierrick Dubé, the rookie recalled from Hershey last week who made his NHL debut in Florida on Saturday, stepped in for Milano and showed well in 12:25 of ice time. He landed two hits and a couple of shots on net, and had a blocked shot.
“Dubé steps in last second,” says Carbery. “He was slated to warm up. I thought his game was solid with Sonny going down. So yeah, those guys stepping in – Pro, Dubé, and Lappy – all did a real good job for us tonight.”
Now, it’s on to Detroit, and their first meeting of the season with the Wings. With a sizeable lead for the back half of Monday’s game, Carbery was able to manage the minutes of his top players while giving some reps and experience to some of the younger players. Once again though, the Caps will need all hands on deck on Tuesday in Motown.
“Given the circumstance, I was very conscious of it,” says Carbery of managing workloads on the front end of back-to-backs. “I tried to even things out at the end of the game without taxing guys on back-to-back shifts. We were able to spread it around a little bit there.
“[Alex Ovechkin] and Stromer had the three or four minutes of power play time, so they weren’t taxed, which should help us [Tuesday] night. They had a tough night [Monday], but the luxury for us is now they’re a little bit rested and can come into a massive game [Tuesday] night on the road, and feel real fresh.”
Since their NHL record string of 25 straight playoff appearances ended in 2017, the Red Wings have missed the Stanley Cup playoffs in each of the last seven seasons, matching a dubious franchise mark. But the Wings are firmly on track to be back in the postseason this spring.
Detroit enters Tuesday’s tilt with a five-game winning streak. Although three of those five victories came in overtime, the Red Wings have outscored the opposition by a whopping 20-7 over the life of the streak. Most recently, the Wings overcame the Blackhawks in Chicago on Sunday night, spoiling the retirement of Chris Chelios’ sweater at United Center with a 3-2 overtime victory over their fellow Original Six club.
Making his first return to United Center as a member of the Red Wings, Patrick Kane bit the hand that once fed him, scoring the overtime game-winner, just over a year after he last played in the building as a member of the Blackhawks.
With its current winning run, Detroit has surged past Tampa Bay in the Atlantic Division standings, and the Wings now occupy the first wild card slot in the Eastern Conference. Detroit is four points behind third-place Toronto in the Atlantic, and the Leafs hold a game in hand on the Red Wings.
