Caps Host Hot Oilers
Coming off consecutive losses, the Caps look to get right in their second and final meeting with Edmonton this season
The Caps' five-game homestand continues on Monday night when they finish off their season's series with the Edmonton Oilers. Less than two weeks after they lost a 4-1 decision to the Oilers in Edmonton in late October, the Caps host the Oilers, the first foe they'll be finished with for the season.
Washington started off its homestand with a 4-3 overtime loss to the Dallas Stars on Saturday night. The Caps fell down 2-0 on a pair of Dallas goals that came just 20 seconds apart midway through the first period. The Caps chased the Stars for the rest of the night, finally tying the game at 3-3 on Evgeny Kuznetsov's power-play goal in the third period.
Braden Holtby snuffed out a Tyler Seguin penalty shot bid in overtime, but just over a minute later another Washington turnover led to another Dallas goal, Jason Dickinson's game-winner in the extra session.
All four Dallas goals came as the direct result of Washington turnovers, with Holtby's own misplay behind the cage leading to the second of the Stars' tallies.
"It's obviously a strange game that way," says Holtby. "We played the way we wanted to for parts of it. For sure the second goal is one that you don't want to happen. I thought we responded well and got a couple of nice shots to get us to overtime. There were some positive things in there, but myself and everyone, we still want to keep pushing forward."
Washington's aforementioned loss to the Oilers was the lone blemish on the Caps' annual late-October run through Western Canada, a setback sandwiched between wins in Vancouver and Calgary, respectively. But since returning from the west, the Caps lost a late lead and came away pointless on Thursday night in Montreal and then were forced to settle for a point on Saturday against the Stars.
With Edmonton in town on Monday, the Caps are seeking to avoid what would be their first three-game slide of the season.
Turnovers and poor puck and game management have plagued the Caps all too frequently in their first dozen games this season, but their potent offensive attack has kept them from going more than two games without a point. To a man, they know they can be much better and much more consistent, and they also believe they'll clear those early season hurdles soon.
"Sometimes you've just got to play the percentages," says Washington winger Brett Connolly. "We've been turning a lot of pucks over lately, and sometimes you've got to chip it in the corner and go get it and take the body, keep it a little bit more simple. And when a play is there, you make it.
"We're a little off on that right now, but we'll find it; we're too good of a team not to. It's just a matter of fixing our little details and we'll be fine."
The Caps took Sunday off from the rigors of the rink, but they made some moves off the ice. With forward Travis Boyd due back from a weekend injury rehab stint with AHL Hershey, Washington placed winger Nathan Walker on waivers and reassigned defenseman Aaron Ness to Hershey.
By noon on Monday, the Caps will learn whether Walker clears waivers or not. Ironically, the Oilers claimed him off waivers from Washington early last season, but the Cap reclaimed him last December. Ness was recalled last week to serve as a spare seventh defenseman while Brooks Orpik (lower body) is sidelined.
The Caps are likely to roll along with the six healthy defensemen they have for the duration of the homestand - or for Monday's game against Edmonton, at least - knowing that help is only a couple of hours away in the event of an emergent need on the blueline.
For the Oilers, Monday's game is the second stop on a four-game road trip. Edmonton downed the Red Wings in Detroit 4-3 in its trip opener on Saturday, and it will head south to face both Florida teams later in the week before heading home for a couple of games. Oilers winger Drake Caggiula scored just 12 seconds into Saturday's game in Detroit, and Edmonton never trailed. Backup goalie Mikko Koskinen won for the second time in as many starts
Edmonton's Oct. 25 victory over the Caps has spurred the club onto a spree. Beginning with that game, the Oilers have won five of their last six games, outscoring the opposition by a combined 22-12 in the process.
Superstar center Connor McDavid leads Edmonton in scoring with 21 points (nine goals, 12 assists), and he is tied for second in the league in that department. Despite playing in only eight of Edmonton's 13 games thus far this season, ex-Caps winger Alex Chiasson has six goals for the Oilers, all at even strength, to rank third on the team. All six of Chiasson's goals have come at even-strength, and he is tied for 14th in the league in that category. Among all Capitals skaters, only Alex Ovechkin (six) has scored as many times at even strength this season.
