September 24 vs. Boston Bruins at TD Garden
Time: 7 p.m.
TV: MNMT
Radio: Team 980, Capitals Radio 24/7
Washington Capitals (0-1-0)
Boston Bruins (0-1-0)
Following an off day on Monday, the Caps return to preseason action on Tuesday night when they take to the road for the first time. The Caps head up to Boston for same day preseason tilt against the Bruins, a contest that serves as the front end of a set of back-to-backs. The Capitals return home after Tuesday’s game, and a mostly fresh set of players will travel to New Jersey for a Wednesday night date with the Devils.
When that New Jersey game is in the books, the Caps will have played half of their preseason schedule before training camp is even one week old.
On Sunday at Capital One Arena, the Caps dropped a 6-2 decision to the visiting Philadelphia Flyers in their preseason opener. Philly jumped in front early, and a youthful group of Caps spent the afternoon unsuccessfully pursuing that early scoreboard deficit. Andrew Cristall and Ivan Miroshnichenko scored for Washington, the latter lighting the lamp on the power play.
Five of the dozen District skaters in Sunday’s opener are still a bit south of their respective 20th birthdays; the Caps definitely leaned green for their exhibition opener. For Tuesday’s game against the Bruins, we’re expecting to see fewer of Washington’s most recently drafted players, a more liberal sprinkling of established veterans, and a handful of players who suited up on Sunday seeing action again, for the second time in as many games.
Among the eight players slated to suit up for each of the Caps’ first two preseason games is Hendrix Lapierre, who logged 15:35 in Sunday’s opener while winning five of 13 draws on the afternoon. In his previous camps in Washington, Lapierre has been battling for a roster berth. But coming off a stellar performance in the Calder Cup playoffs – he was awarded the Jack Butterfield Trophy as the playoff MVP – and a strong late-season run in DC, Lapierre is seen as a bona fide NHL player now; his Hershey days should be in the rear view.
The youngest player to win the Butterfield Trophy in seven years, the 22-year-old Lapierre finished strong in Washington, playing in each of the team’s last 26 games. The Capitals went 14-10-2 over that stretch, and Lapierre chipped in with six goals and 15 points during that span, ranking fourth on the team in scoring. Only Alex Ovechkin, Dylan Strome and John Carlson totaled more points for the Caps in their improbable run to the playoffs over the final third of last season.
“I think it’s just learning every day, and my mentality is that every day I’m going to do what I can to have success,” reflects Lapierre, of an eventful last six months in his career. “And eventually, when those days add up and you do a little bit of extra and stuff like that, eventually it comes out and you gain positive things from that. For me, it’s about sticking to the process. I know that’s very cliché, but that’s really what it was; one day, you’re going to feel comfortable, you’re going to feel better. You’ve just got to get used to it.
“I don’t think there was a point last year where I felt like I really flipped a switch. I started the year strong in the [AHL], then I had a little bit of a taste in the NHL. I got back to the [AHL], and when I finally got back in February, it was like, ‘Okay, now it’s time to shine.’ And the worst thing that can happen is I get sent down again, right? And I’ve been sent down three times. So I was like, ‘All right, let’s just do it.’ And I started playing really good, and feeling comfortable and kind of getting a sense of all of this. And now I feel like I belong here, I want to play here, I want to have an impact, and I want to help the team win.”
Another notable happening for Tuesday’s trip to Boston is the likelihood of both Protas brothers – Aliaksei and Ilya – suiting up in the same sweater for a game at any level. The Belarusian brothers were drafted five years apart, both in the third round of their respective draft years. Although they've obviously practiced and trained together, their age difference has precluded them from being teammates in the same game, until Tuesday.
Aliaksei begins a five-year contract extension this season, while Ilya will begin his North American career with the Windsor Spitfires of the OHL. Earlier this month, in his exhibition debut with Windsor, the younger Protas notched a hat trick.
The Protas brothers are one of two sets of brothers at Caps’ camp this fall; Dylan and Matt Strome are back for their third camp together.
Boston also fell in its own preseason opener, dropping a 3-2 decision to the Rangers on Sunday at TD Garden. The Bruins also dressed a lineup sparsely populated with veterans, which is likely to be the case again on Tuesday. The B’s have the luxury – or the curse, depending upon your viewpoint – of one more preseason game than the Caps this fall. Boston has seven exhibitions on the slate.
The Caps and Bruins will meet again on Oct. 5 here in DC in the final preseason tuneup for both teams.
