Caps Take On Canucks

Feb. 5 vs. Vancouver Canucks at Capital One Arena
Time:7:00 p.m.
TV:NBCSW
Radio:Capitals Radio 24/7, FAN 106.7
Vancouver Canucks 24-23-6
Washington Capitals 28-18-6

Washington's season-long six-game homestand continues on Tuesday when the Vancouver Canucks make their only visit to the District this season. The Caps handed the Canucks a 5-2 loss on Oct. 22 in Vancouver in the previous meeting between the two teams this season.
The Caps split the first two games of the homestand, edging the Calgary Flames 4-3 on Friday before falling 1-0 to the Boston Bruins on Sunday afternoon. Washington was flat for the first 40 minutes of Sunday's game before coming alive in the third. Braden Holtby stopped 37 of the 38 shots he faced to keep the Bruins within striking distance, but the Caps weren't able to strike.

"I thought our execution in the first and second period wasn't where it needed to be," says Caps coach Todd Reirden. "Some of it was self-inflicted, and some of it was Boston did a good job against us. Finally, in the third period we were able to break them down and get some opportunities. We were able to find some ways to create more offense in the third by getting to the net front and delivering more pucks there."
Sunday's loss leaves the Caps with four wins in their last 15 games (4-8-3) as they head into the third game of the homestand. A six-game road trip follows, and the Caps will play three sets of back-to-back games in a span of two weeks beginning at the start of next week.
"We obviously had a pretty good game against Calgary and a fun team win," says Caps right wing Tom Wilson. "[Sunday] it's a tight knit game, there wasn't a lot either way, and those can go to either team. Obviously you want to get the win, you want to keep the good times going. It is what it is. I think we played pretty good on the defensive side of the puck, and some nights they just don't go in. For the most part, it's been better hockey than before the [All-Star] break."
Caps center Lars Eller missed Sunday's game with a lower body injury, the first contest he has missed this season. He participated in Monday morning's practice session, but he and the team will wait and see how he responds on Tuesday morning before determining his availability for Tuesday against Vancouver.
As the Caps practiced on Monday, the team announced it had signed goaltender Pheonix Copley to a three-year contract extension. Copley has been one of the Caps' most pleasant surprises in 2018-19. At season's outset, he had two career NHL appearances and no wins. Nearly two-third of the way through his first full season, he has proven to be a capable NHL goaltender, with a 10-5-3 mark, a 2.98 GAA and a .903 save pct. in 19 games.
"It means a lot," says Copley. "Obviously it's a great organization, and I'm excited to continue to help the organization and do what I can to win games."
"I think it's a great story," says Reirden. "It's one of a player who came into training camp with something to prove and an opportunity in front of him and it hasn't been an easy path. He has earned every bit of it, so I'm really happy for him. I'm really proud of him as a person and as a player.

"I always have a special place for people who have to go through adversity to accomplish something like that. He is one of our most respected guys in our locker room for his work ethic and how he goes about his business. To me, this is great for our culture as a team and how we want to continue to move forward here in the next few years with surrounding our players with people like that."
When the Caps dealt Philipp Grubauer to Colorado last June, Copley ascended to the backup job behind Braden Holtby, but given his thin body of work at this level, they weren't sure how that promotion would work out. But Copley has worked hard with goaltending coach Scott Murray to elevate his game, and the results have been positive.
"Anytime you go into a new league," says Copley, "you've got to get your confidence and that comes with time and games. I think the more I play in this league, the more confident and better I'll be."
Vancouver will be playing for the second time in as many nights. The Canucks lost a 2-1 decision to the Flyers in Philadelphia on Monday night in the second game of their four-game road trip. The Canucks started the tour with a 5-1 thumping of the Avalanche in Colorado on Saturday, and they'll make their last stop in Chicago on Thursday.

The worst part of Monday's loss to the Flyers is the loss of defenseman Alexander Edler, who left the game after a rather frightening injury midway through the third period. Edler got tangled up awkwardly with Flyers forward Jakub Voracek, and when the blueliner went down, his head slammed hard against the ice. He was alert when he departed on a stretcher, but Edler did not return and his status for Tuesday is unknown.
Tuesday's game also marks the return of Jay Beagle to the District. Before he signed a four-year deal with Vancouver over the summer, Beagle spent the first 10 seasons of his NHL career in Washington. The Caps signed Beagle as an undrafted free agent, and he skated in his 500th career NHL game on Monday against the Flyers.
When the Caps won the Stanley Cup last June, he was the third longest tenured Washington skater behind only Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom. Beagle is the only player in pro hockey history to win a Stanley Cup, Calder Cup (AHL) and Kelly Cup (ECHL) championship.