SKATE SHAVINGS -- News and Notes From Caps' Morning Skate

Heat Lightning Rumbles In The Distance - For the entirety of the truncated 2020-21 season, plus the 2021 preseason and the '21-22 season opener against the New York Rangers, the Caps have played all of their games against just seven different opponents. Including the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs in the Toronto bubble, the Caps have played a stretch of 75 straight games against those same seven foes.

That streak ends tonight when the Tampa Bay Lightning hit town for the first time since Dec. 21, 2019. The Lightning was also the last team the Caps faced outside of that seven-team clique; the Caps took a 3-2 shootout loss against the Lightning in the opener of a playoff round-robin series in Toronto on Aug. 3, 2020, the only "shootout" result in Washington's playoff history.
"It's nice to be back to that, where you get an opportunity to play different teams, and you see everybody," says Caps coach Peter Laviolette. "There's new players that came into the League last year that we haven't even seen yet. It's nice to mix it up."
The Caps turned in a stellar defensive effort on Wednesday in their season opener with the Rangers, skating off with a 5-1 victory. They hope to roll that effort into tonight's tilt against one of the League's most potent offensive clubs.
"I think we did a good job being aggressive all over the ice, not giving them much and kind of frustrating their top guys," says Caps left wing Carl Hagelin of the win over New York. "And now we got Tampa, who obviously relies a lot on their top guys. They've obviously proven themselves the last couple of years here that they know what it takes to win, and I think they've gotten better at coming back in games and playing a smarter type of hockey. I think for us it's a good challenge, playing the defending Stanley Cup champs.
"We've got to bring it. I think we're excited here. We had two days in between games, which is nice, too. We put the last game behind us now, so now we move on and just focus on this one."
Brand New Start - Two days after he was claimed off waivers from the Seattle Kraken, defenseman Dennis Cholowski took to the ice with his new Washington teammates at Saturday's morning skate. Cholowski won't be in the lineup for Saturday's game, but he met with media for the first time after the skate.
"It's exciting," says Cholowski of his sudden shift in scenery. "Obviously this team is established and has been at the top of the League for 10-plus years, so it's real exciting to be here for sure."
Washington's waiver claim of Cholowski continues a pattern of adding low-cost players from other organizations to help augment the core of talent that has been together here in D.C. for several years now. Drafted in the first round (20th overall) in the 2016 NHL Draft, Cholowski is still only 23 years old and has 104 games worth of NHL experience from three partial seasons in the Detroit organization.
"Our management and scouts, they get a good look at a player - a young player, first-round pick, good size to him, good skating mobility - and it's just an opportunity for him to become part of our organization and see where he fits in," says Laviolette. "We're excited to get him here - he'll probably be on the ice for the pre-game skate - and just get a look at him."
Cholowski was chosen out of the BCHL in his draft year, and he played the following season at St. Cloud State, where both Nic Dowd and Nick Jensen played their college hockey. Days after his freshman season, the Wings signed him to an entry-level deal, and he split his age 19 season between Prince George and Portland of the WHL, piling up 14 goals and 66 points in 69 games.
He cracked the Detroit roster as a 20-year-old in his first pro season of 2018-19, playing more games in Motown (52) than in AHL Grand Rapids (25) as a rookie, and totaling seven goals and 16 points with the Wings. Cholowski played 52 games with Detroit and 43 with Grand Rapids over the last two shortened NHL seasons.
Along with Jensen and Anthony Mantha, Cholowski is also one of three ex-Red Wings currently dotting the Washington roster.
A low risk, high-upside acquisition, Cholowski went from Detroit to Seattle in the expansion draft, and the Caps were able to claim him when the Kraken tried to send him it its AHL affiliate. Like his fellow former Kraken teammate Vitek Vanecek, he never pulled on the Kraken sweater for a regular season NHL game.
The addition of Cholowski gives Washington eight defensemen on its NHL roster, and balances the group out by adding a fourth lefty blueliner to the four right-handers already on the Caps' defense corps.
"This is a young defenseman, a high pick that has a good skill level," reiterates Laviolette. "One of [Caps assistant coach] Kevin [McCarthy's] strengths is to bring players into a good environment and teach.
"Sometimes you go into the coach's office, and that player might not leave feeling good about themselves or their game. He just has a way of settling it down, and it's the way he shows it and the way he teaches it. He's been in the League a lot of years and was a real good defenseman. He has a way of imparting his knowledge onto others on how to play the game, and he does it in a very positive environment. I think it will be a good fit for Kevin to try and work with him and help him and see if we can't get him to be a part of the group."
Back in the summer of 2016 when Cholowski was a first-round Detroit draft pick, this is how Red Line Report viewed him:
"Fluid rearguard has good offensive skills and is a fine 4-way skater with agility and the elusiveness to evade forecheckers. Makes excellent breakouts, crisp and on the tape. Scans the whole ice looking to make plays - takes his time with the puck and doesn't rush his passes or panic. Also has patience to skate the puck out of his zone rather than force ill-advised passes. Likes to pinch and join the attack, often venturing in deep. Shows a hard, accurate shot from the point. Plays both special teams and in all key situations, and generally controls the play with poise and confidence. Heads up and defensively aware around his own end, rarely making a bad decision. Maintains tight gaps and hardly gives puckhandlers any space to make plays. Has grown five inches in the past two years and has developed into a very steady, reliable, and underrated two-way defenceman."
Projection:Steady, mobile, mistake-free #4 defenseman
Style compares to: Jonas Brodin
In The Nets - Vanecek was solid in the nets for Washington in Wednesday's season opener against the Rangers, stopping 23 of 24 shots to earn his first victory of the season. Vanecek was particularly strong in the early going before the Caps found their legs.
His opening night performance has earned him a second straight start, this one against a potent Lightning lineup that he'll be facing for the first time in his career. Each of Vanecek's previous 38 career NHL appearances came against one of the other seven denizens of the temporarily constructed East Division.
"I thought he played a good game last game," says Laviolette of Vanecek. "He made a lot of big saves early and he was good, so we'll go back to him tonight."
For the Lightning, we're expecting to see Andrei Vasilevskiy, last season's Conn Smythe Trophy winner and a Vezina Trophy finalist for four straight seasons. Vasilevskiy became the first Lightning goalie ever to win the Vezina in 2018-19. Vasilevskiy has been dented for nine goals in his first two starts this season. Lifetime against Washington, he is 4-6-1 with a 3.70 GAA and an .897 GAA in 11 regular season appearances.
All Lined Up -Here's how we believe the Caps and Lightning will look when they take to the ice on Saturday night in the District:
WASHINGTON
Forwards
8-Ovechkin, 92-Kuznetsov, 43-Wilson
39-Mantha, 20-Eller, 10-Sprong
73-Sheary, 29-Lapierre, 77-Oshie
62-Hagelin, 26-Dowd, 21-Hathaway
Defensemen
42-Fehervary, 74-Carlson
9-Orlov, 3-Jensen
57-van Riemsdyk, 2-Schultz
Goaltenders
41-Vanecek
30-Samsonov
Extras
24-McMichael
38-Cholowski
52-Irwin
Injured
19-Backstrom (hip, week-to-week)
TAMPA BAY
Forwards
18-Palat, 21-Point, 86-Kucherov
17-Killorn, 71-Cirelli, 91-Stamkos
14-Maroon, 79-Colton, 10-Perry
13-Katchouk, 41-Bellemare, 7-Joseph
Defensemen
77-Hedman, 44-Rutta
27-McDonagh, 81-Cernak
98-Sergachev, 29-Sustr
Goaltenders
88-Vasilevskiy
1-Elliott
Extras
16-Raddysh
Injured
21-Bogosian (lower body)
46-Smith (lower body)
52-Foote (finger)