March 25 vs. Winnipeg Jets at Canada Life Centre
Time: 8:00 p.m.
TV: MNMT
Radio: 106.7 THE FAN, Caps Radio 24/7
Washington Capitals (47-15-8)
Winnipeg Jets (48-19-4)
The Caps take their last trip outside the Eastern Time Zone for the 2024-25 season this week, a two-game excursion to face Winnipeg and Minnesota, respectively. First up is a Tuesday night tilt against the Jets in Winnipeg.
Tuesday’s game pits the top two teams in the NHL and the leaders from each of the League’s two conferences. Winners of nine of their last 10 games as they embark upon this week’s trip, the Caps hold a two-point lead over the Jets (102-100) and they also hold a game in hand on Winnipeg.
With a dozen games remaining to be played across 24 nights between now and the end of the regular season, the Caps will play eight of those final dozen contests on the road. And with each of their four remaining home games standing as a single game between road dates, the Capitals must travel for each of their last 12 games of the season.
Washington finished off a sweep of a three-game homestand – and a sweep of their three-game season series with the defending Stanley Cup champion Panthers – when it downed Florida by a 6-3 count on Saturday at Capital One Arena.
Heading into Saturday’s game, Florida was a top five team in the NHL in goals against at 5-on-5; the Caps scored five goals at 5-on-5 in Saturday’s victory, the sixth goal came during a 6-on-5, delayed penalty situation. Both of Washington’s upcoming opponents on this trip are also in the League’s top five at in 5-on-5 goals against, and Winnipeg leads the NHL in that department with just 105 in 71 games.
As the Caps began their final multi-game homestand of the season a week ago against Detroit, they were seeking to shore up some of the elements of their game that had been sagging a bit, particularly on home ice. Puck possession and offensive zone assertiveness were prominent on that list, and the Caps were excellent on those fronts in Saturday’s win over Florida.
“The difference between Detroit and tonight is we were attacking more,” said Caps forward Connor McMichael, who started Saturday’s scoring spree with his 25th goal of the season early in the first period. “Against Detroit, we had the puck a lot, but we weren’t generating too much. And I thought tonight we had the puck and we were generating. Anytime you have both of those things going, it’s usually going to be a pretty good night.”
When the Caps were blanked 3-0 by the Kings in Los Angeles on March 13, it marked the first time in 22 games their top six forwards had been kept off the scoresheet. In four games since, the top six has been prominent, totaling 11 goals and 16 assists for 27 points in four straight victories. But the Caps have also had offensive contributions from their bottom six and their blueline brigade in scoring 19 goals in four games since the whitewash in LA.
“I loved today, loved today,” reiterated Caps coach Spencer Carbery after the win over Florida. “I know they’re missing some guys, but it’s the defending Eastern Conference champion. They are who they are; they’re the cream of the crop of the Eastern Conference. No matter where they’re sitting right now as it stands, they’re as good as team as there is in the Eastern Conference.
“They’re the defending champs, and to beat them three times this year – all three times – and even tonight where they’re desperate for points and even though they’ve got some guys out, I’m really, really happy and impressed with the way that the guys played today. You could tell in the morning our guys were focused and ready to go.”
The Caps surged past Detroit with a three-goal third period in the homestand opener, but they had to eke out a 3-2 win over also-ran Philadelphia after running up a 3-0 lead midway through the game. Saturday’s convincing victory over the defending Cup champions is more along the lines of what Carbery was seeking when the homestand got underway.
“The Philly game was a little bit weird,” says Carbery. “I wasn't in love with that, but I liked the start of our homestand. And like I said, it's important that this building is a difficult place for opposing teams to come in for the rest of the year and going into the playoffs. And we need to be able to not just say that; you’ve got to make them feel that. And I thought we did that tonight.”
The Caps and Jets first met this season on Feb. 1 in Washington, in the Caps’ first home game following their longest road trip of the season, a five-game journey over the back half of January. Winnipeg led 2-0 after one period in that game and 4-2 early in the third, but the Caps rallied with goals from Tom Wilson and Alex Ovechkin in the third to force overtime. Winnipeg’s Josh Morrissey scored his second goal of the game in overtime to send the Jets home with two points.
The Jets’ win in Washington on the first day of February was their sixth in a row, and they went on to win 11 consecutive contests on that streak. Since that streak ended, the Jets have split their last dozen games (6-5-1). Most recently, Winnipeg dropped the first game of thier four-game homestand to Buffalo on Sunday, falling 5-3.
As they embark upon this trip, the Caps have defeated 28 of the League’s other 31 teams this season. The three teams they haven’t defeated are all ahead on their schedule, with the first two on this trip to Winnipeg and Minnesota. The Caps also haven’t defeated Chicago, which is the last Western Conference foe the Caps face this season, on April 4 in Washington.
