SKATE SHAVINGS - News and Notes from Caps' Morning Skate 1/22

Ain't Nobody Home - For the first time in a span of 324 days, the Capitals will play a home game at Capital One Arena tonight, hosting the Buffalo Sabres in Washington's home opener for the 2020-21 season. The big barn on F. St. first opened for business more than 23 years ago, but tonight's game will mark the first time a regular season game will be played there without fans in attendance.

"It's going to be different," acknowledges Caps center Nicklas Backstrom. "But at the same time, I love playing in Cap One Arena. I would like to see fans there, but at the same time it's going to be nice to be home and step on the ice there. Even if the fans aren't there, we're going to be hearing them through the TVs."
When the Caps take the ice against the Sabres they'll be without four key players, including team captain Alex Ovechkin. Forwards Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov, defenseman Dmitry Orlov and goaltender Ilya Samsonov are on the NHL's "Players Unavailable Due to Covid Protocol" list, and all are expected to miss multiple games.
After starting the season with a successful 2-0-2 road trip, the Caps are excited to open a six-game homestand. With the absences of the aforementioned quartet, other players on Washington's roster will have an opportunity to showcase their abilities.
"We're excited," says Caps coach Peter Laviolette. "It's an opportunity to show our strength through adversity. Anytime we've got something where players are out of the lineup for whatever reasons, could be injuries or a player gets back into the lineup or players move up the lineup and they assume more minutes and they assume bigger responsibilities, it's an opportunity for those players to shine. I feel like we still have a real good team on the ice [Friday], it is our home opener, and our guys will be excited and they'll be ready to play."
Change Gonna Come - The Caps last played on Tuesday night in Pittsburgh when they came out on the short side of a 5-4 overtime decision against the Penguins. Because of the Covid absences, tonight's lineup will look much different from Tuesday's.
Blueliner Jonas Siegenthaler will step into the lineup for the first time this season, playing on the left side of a pairing with Justin Schultz. After playing in each of the first two games of the season against Buffalo, one of his former employers, Conor Sheary sat out the next two contests against another former employer, the Penguins. He will be back in the lineup as part of a newly cobbled fourth line along with fellow former Penguin Daniel Sprong and rookie center Brian Pinho.
Pinho, a sixth-round draft choice (174th overall) of the Capitals in 2013, first dipped his toes in the NHL waters last summer when he filled in for an ailing Nicklas Backstrom during the Stanley Cup playoffs. Tonight marks Pinho's regular season NHL debut; he opened the season on Washington's taxi squad and was elevated to the 23-man roster on Friday.
Siegenthaler was the Caps' top penalty-killing defenseman last season, logging an average of 3:11 in shorthanded time per game to finish in a tie - with new teammate Zdeno Chara - for 11th among all NHL defensemen.
Ironically, it was the last-minute free agent addition of Chara to the Washington roster that relegated Siegenthaler to healthy scratch status for the first four games of the season. Orlov's absence gives the 23-year-old Swiss blueliner his first opportunity of 2020-21.
"I was just working out and practicing," says Siegenthaler. "I knew when the chance was going to come I would be the next one. It's going to be my first game this season today, and I've waited for that. Yeah, I'm pretty happy about it."
Prior to the acquisition of Chara, Siegenthaler had been penciled into Washington's top six, where he spent most of 2019-20, his second NHL season.
"Jonas has been a really good player, a strong defender in this league," says Laviolette. "I'm excited to get a chance to see him play and to get him in the lineup; they've been patient and now comes an opportunity. That's one of the reasons why we kept the depth on defense in this shortened year. I know [Trevor van Riemsdyk] is waiting to play as well. These guys are good NHL players and I'm sure they're excited to play. We're excited to have them in there."
Through four games this season, scoring goals hasn't been a problem for the Capitals. Four different lines contributed offensively in Washington's season-opening win in Buffalo, and three different lines had a hand in the scoring on Tuesday night in Pittsburgh when the Caps last played.
Washington's usual fourth line of Carl Hagelin, Nic Dowd and Garnet Hathaway gets a bump up to third-line status tonight. The trio combined for 24 goals last season and has already registered a pair of goals in the first two games of 2020-21, and it has held its own on the puck possession front as well.
"I think the benefits of our line - even going back to last year - has been regardless of the minutes played we're a very consistent line," says Dowd. "We bring the same game if we play seven minutes here or if we play 14 or 15 minutes. I would definitely argue that the more you play as a player, the better you feel. And there's the possibility that as you get more into a groove of a game, then you can start making more plays; you feel a little more comfortable when you handle the puck more.
"If you ask any athlete across sports that's just how it works, as you get more into the game and stuff like that, things flowing more. And I think if you look at games in the past where we have had more minutes, I think we've not only brought the consistency of what we do on a lower minute basis, but then guys start feeling better about themselves and we start creating a little bit more. I don't think our game is going to change at all. I just think we will have a little bit more potential opportunity and I think with that we're going to be looking to be successful and to create a little bit more in the [offensive] zone than we have in the last four games."
With a dozen goals at 5-on-5 in four games, the Caps are tied for second most in the NHL.
"The Dowd line has been excellent - excellent defensively," says Laviolette. "They're in the offensive zone, they're generating, there's chances. I don't think goals are a problem. As a team, we're talking about other things, but not necessarily about scoring goals.
"Richard Panik has played well, Eller has played well - they've been with [T.J.] Oshie last game and this game; that's been a real good line. They're going to be looking to generate as well.
"I've got a lot of confidence in the lineup that we have, and again it goes back to the depth. I think we've got good depth. We're going to miss the players certainly that are out of the lineup, but what a great opportunity for others to step in."
In The Nets - Since the Caps and Sabres last met a week ago in Buffalo, both teams have had to deal with some absences with their goaltenders. Samsonov - who got the opening night starting assignment in Buffalo on Jan. 14 - is unavailable for duty because of Covid protocol and he isn't likely to be available for at least the next four games. Given Samsonov's status, the Caps elevated veteran goalie Craig Anderson from the taxi squad to the active roster on Thursday.
A week ago tonight in Buffalo, Vitek Vanecek made his NHL debut in net for the Capitals against the Sabres. Although Washington was vastly outplayed in that contest, Vanecek stopped 30 of 31 shots he faced to help the Caps to a 2-1 victory, his first in the NHL.
Vanecek wasn't as sharp in his second outing, a 5-4 overtime loss to the Penguins in which he struggled with rebound control. But he will make his second straight start tonight, with Anderson dressed in a Caps sweater for the first time as his backup.
"We're going to go game-by-game," says Laviolette - as he has said all camp and all season - of his goaltending plans. "Anderson is an NHL veteran goalie. Vanecek gets the call tonight.
"We'll continue to assess things on a daily basis and make decisions from there. I know [Anderson] is excited - just like Siegenthaler getting in and Pinho getting in - he is excited to get over to our side, be part of the team, part of the game, and he'll wait for his opportunity."
Buffalo goaltender Linus Ullmark took a brief leave of absence to mourn the death of his father, so the Sabres similarly elevated Jonas Johansson from the taxi squad in his absence. While Ullmark was away, Carter Hutton suffered an undisclosed injury after a collision with Philadelphia defenseman Ivan Provorov in Tuesday's loss to the Flyers. Hutton left the game after the second period, and Johansson finished up in net in the third.
Hutton is still on the sidelines, but Ullmark will be back in the nets for the Sabres tonight against Washington. Lifetime against the Capitals, Ullmark is 1-3-0 in four appearances with a 2.98 GAA and an .897 save pct.
The Sabres recently promoted journeyman goaltender Dustin Tokarski to the taxi squad, as teams are required to carry and travel with at least three netminders at all times this season.
All Lined Up - Here's how we expect the Capitals and Sabres to look In Washington's home opener on Friday night in the District:
WASHINGTON
Forwards
13-Vrana, 19-Backstrom, 43-Wilson
14-Panik, 20-Eller, 77-Oshie
62-Hagelin, 26-Dowd, 21-Hathaway
10-Sprong, 64-Pinho, 73-Sheary
Defensemen
4-Dillon, 74-Carlson
34-Siegenthaler, 2-Schultz
33-Chara, 3-Jensen
Goaltenders
41-Vanecek
31-Anderson
Injuries
6-Kempny (Achilles' tendon)
8-Ovechkin (on "unavailable due to Covid protocol" list)
9-Orlov (on "unavailable due to Covid protocol" list)
30-Samsonov (on "unavailable due to Covid protocol" list)
92-Kuznetsov (on "unavailable due to Covid protocol" list)
Extras
57-van Riemsdyk
Taxi Squad
1-Copley (G)
24-McMichael (F)
28-Carr (F)
39-Fucale (G)
42-Fehervary (D)
BUFFALO
Forwards
4-Hall, 9-Eichel, 23-Reinhart
68-Olofsson, 12-E. Staal, 72-Thompson
13-Rieder, 20-Eakin, 24-Cozens
53-Skinner, 27-Lazar, 15-Sheahan
Defensemen
19-McCabe, 55-Ristolainen
26-Dahlin, 62-Montour
33-Miller, 10-Jokiharju
Goaltenders
35-Ullmark
34-Johansson
Injured
21-Okposo (undisclosed, game time decision for Friday)
28-Girgensons (hamstring)
40-Hutton (undisclosed)
Extras
44-Irwin
Taxi Squad
3-Borgen (D)
22-Quinn (F)
31-Tokarski (G)
37-Mittelstadt (F)
74-Asplund (F)
88-Davidson (D)