Caps Host Hurricanes
Homestand continues on Monday when Caps finish off their season's series with Carolina
The Caps' four-game homestand continues on Monday night when the Carolina Hurricanes make their second visit of the month to the District, closing out the season's series between the two Metropolitan Division rivals. Monday's meeting between the Caps and the Canes is the third in a span of 26 nights.
Washington opened its homestand on a high note on Saturday night, taking a 4-3 win over the New Jersey Devils. That victory came after the Caps feted center Nicklas Backstrom in a stirring pregame ceremony, honoring him for notching his 1,000th career NHL point on March 9 in Edmonton.
The Caps trailed 2-1 heading into the third period, but they rallied with a trio of tallies in the third, including Backstrom's go-ahead goal just ahead of the seven-minute mark. When Backstrom scored, the Capital One Arena crowd erupted, showering the ice surface with tiny rubbery "apples," which were given away to fans as they entered the arena.
Backstrom also assisted on Alex Ovechkin's game-winning goal later in the third period - raising his franchise record career total in "apples" to 742 - as the Caps stopped a two-game slide on home ice.
"I said to him right after all the apples came down, 'You're a legend,'" says Caps winger Tom Wilson, who netted his 20th goal of the season in Saturday's win. "It's the only way to put it for guys like him in this city. You can count the guys on one hand probably that have done what he's done, and he is one of the most humble and probably one of the best teammates to ever do it.
"He is a guy who never wants the attention. He never takes anything from his teammates; he always gives. And he is a guy who personally I have learned a ton from on just how to act. He is a great guy, and it's always fun when you see the guys that deserve it the most get the fun attention like he did."
Earlier in Saturday's game, Wilson achieved a milestone of his own when he started the scoring for Washington with his 20th goal of the season. He has now recorded 20 or more goals in three of the last four seasons, and his 46 points in 2021-22 is a single-season career best.
"It's nice when you can achieve that," says Wilson, "and I've obviously been playing with some really good players throughout the year. It makes my job pretty easy when all I have to do is hit the empty nets when some of those great passes come over."
With Saturday's victory, the Caps swept a set of weekend back-to-back games, and they improved to 14-5-1 against their fellow Metropolitan Division occupants this season. Washington has won five straight against Metro foes, a streak that started with Vitek Vanecek's March 3 shutout of the Canes at Capital One.
As they head into their final game of March on Monday against Carolina, the Caps are 9-2-1 for the month. Including Saturday's night's win over the Devils, six of the nine victories have come in games in which Washington trailed in the third period.
"We have a veteran team," says Caps right wing T. J. Oshie, "and I think we're starting to get a little more conviction in how our game has to look through 60 minutes. It does feel like we're starting to come into our own and feel comfortable and confidence in our game, and just sticking with it for those 60 minutes. I think we've had a lot of great goaltending this month, to keep those leads within distance, so it's just hats off to the guys for sticking with the game and finding ways to get two points."
While the Caps were opening their homestand against the Devils on Saturday, the Hurricanes were in St. Louis, handing the Blues a 7-2 hammering on home ice. That game started a stretch of three road games in four nights for Carolina, which opens a set of back-to-back games with Monday's game in the District. The Canes head south afterwards; they'll finish the trip on Tuesday night against the Lightning in Tampa.
Carolina leads the Metropolitan Division by three points over surging Pittsburgh, and four points over the Rangers, and the Canes hold two games in hand with the Pens and one with New York. The Hurricanes have finished their season's series with Pittsburgh, but will still face the Rangers twice, both times at Madison Square Garden.
