SKATE SHAVINGS - News and Notes from Caps' Morning Skate 3/19

New York Is Killing Me - Starting with tonight's game against the New York Rangers at Capital One Arena, the Caps will be seeing a lot of the Blueshirts for the remainder of the month of March. Friday's game is the front end of a set of back-to-back games with the Rangers here in the District, and the Rangers will be back in town a week from Sunday to close out Washington's six-game homestand. When the Caps hit the road again on March 30 to start a five-game road journey, they'll do so against the Rangers at New York's Madison Square Garden.

Washington has six games remaining this month, and four of them are against the Rangers. The Caps have dropped both previous games against the Blueshirts this season, and those two contests are two of only three games this season in which Washington has failed to hold a lead at any point. Dating back to last season, the Caps have lost four straight (0-3-1) to the Rangers, their longest slide against New York in a decade.
"There are things that certainly I think we can do better," says Caps coach Peter Laviolette of his team's play against the Rangers this season. "They're a team that is young, they're fast, they're capable offensively, they compete defensively, and we haven't had the success that we're looking for.
"I'm not sure that we were great with our game, especially the second time that we played them. The first time, I thought we did some good things and didn't get the results we were looking for. But that's been talked about and addressed, the fact that we've got to get on track against this team. We've got them four times in the next six games, and tonight's the first one. We've got to be ready to play."
Washington hasn't lost on home ice since New York won here nearly a month ago, a 4-1 win on Feb. 20 in a Saturday afternoon affair. The Caps are 4-0-1 in their last five home games since that loss to the Rangers.
Sweet Sixteen - Since an early February speed bump where they dropped four straight games in regulation, the Capitals have been rolling along quite nicely, thank you. Over their last 16 games, the Caps have suffered just two regulation losses, and that sustained spree has led them to the top of the East Division standings early in the second half of this abbreviated campaign.
In this shortened 56-game campaign, a 16-game stretch of hockey is more than a quarter of the season, or the equivalent of a 23-24 game stretch over a more customary 82-game season. The Caps are 13-2-1 over those 16 contests for a League-leading .844 points percentage over that span.
More importantly, the Caps rank high in several key statistical areas during that time. Washington's average of 3.44 goals per game and 2.31 goals against per game each rank fourth in the league, and the Capitals' average of 27 shots on net allowed is third best in the League during this stretch.
The Caps have yielded only 22 goals at 5-on-5 in those 16 games; Tampa Bay (15 games during the same stretch) and Vancouver (14 games) have permitted 20, the fewest of any team in the circuit over that period. Washington has a plus-18 goal differential over its last 16 games (55-37).
Washington has scored the game's first goal in nine of those 16 games, winning all nine contests. With the same group of six defensemen dressed for all 16 games, the Caps have yielded two or fewer goals against in nine of the 16 games, going 9-0-0 in those contests.
Coaches? We Don't Need No Stinking Coaches - When word came out late on Wednesday afternoon that the entire New York Rangers coaching staff would be unavailable for Wednesday's home game against the Philadelphia Flyers, you had to wonder how the Rangers would fare without their usual bench bosses, and on such short notice as well.
Not to worry, kid.
The Rangers rolled the Flyers 9-0 in their first game without head coach David Quinn and assistants Jacques Martin, David Oliver and Greg Brown, all of whom were ruled out of Wednesday's game because of COVID-19 protocols. New York elevated AHL Hartford head coach Kris Knoblauch to acting head coach and placed Wolf Pack associate head coach Gord Murphy and New York's associate general manager Chris Drury behind the bench alongside Knoblauch.
A seven-goal second period - including a natural hat trick and six points from New York center Mika Zibanejad in the middle frame alone - fueled Wednesday's romp over Philadelphia.
"They just told us to go out there and play our game and have fun," says Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren, of the interim coaching staff and its message heading into Wednesday's game. "I know they were excited to be there and coach for that game, so we were all excited and we played well."
Knoblauch spent Wednesday morning coaching the Wolf Pack at practice when he was suddenly pulled off the ice there and alerted to the fact that his presence might be needed behind the bench in New York that very night. Several hours later, he addressed the media after his team lambasted the Flyers.
"Yeah, it is bizarre," acknowledged Knoblauch, "but everything was all planned out. [Quinn] had the pre-game all set out for us. He had a game plan, had the video all set up. Before the game started, Murph and myself showed up to the game and went through the video and the pre-game scout with [Quinn], went over talking points, key things, match-ups and all that stuff.
"Really, I was just following up the game plan that he set forward. We didn't really have much time to prepare much or do anything, rather than just implement what they had planned."
As it turns out, Knoblauch and company will be behind the bench for the two weekend games in D.C. against the Capitals on Friday and Saturday.
Just over a decade ago, the Rangers had to operate with an acting head coach for a playoff game against the Capitals. During the first-round series between the Caps and Rangers in 2009, then-Rangers coach John Tortorella was suspended for one game - Game 6 - of the best-of-seven playoff series between the two teams after he squirted water on a fan behind the Rangers bench during Game 5. Ex-Caps bench boss Jim Schoenfeld - then an assistant GM for the Rangers - was tapped to fill in for the Blueshirts in Game 6. The Caps won that series, taking each of the last three games after falling down 3-1 early in the series.
In The Nets - Vitek Vanecek gets the net for Washington in Friday's front half of a back-to-back set of games with the Rangers. The Capitals have played four sets of back-to-back contests through the season's first 29 games, and they've got six of them the rest of the way, starting with this weekend's set with the Rangers. Both Washington goaltenders are likely to see their fair share of time in the crease the rest of the way.
With the Capitals playing so well of late, both goaltenders have also been posting strong numbers along the way. Vanecek comes into Friday night's game on the heels of his first career shutout, a 23-save victory over the Sabres in Buffalo on Monday night. In his last 10 starts, he is 7-2-1 with a 2.17 GAA and a .917 save pct.
Vanecek is 12-5-3 on the season, and two of his five regulation losses have come at the hands of the Rangers. He is 0-2-0 with a 3.07 GAA and an .887 save pct. in those two appearances against New York.
Alexandar Georgiev gets the net tonight for the Rangers, and he also enters Friday's contest on the heels of a shutout, a 26-save effort in New York's Wednesday night demolition of the Flyers. In four career appearances against Washington, Georgiev is 1-2-1 with a 4.34 GAA and an .868 save pct.
All Lined Up - Here is how we expect the Capitals and the Rangers to look on Friday night in the District for the front half of a set of back-to-back contests:
WASHINGTON
Forwards
8-Ovechkin, 19-Backstrom, 77-Oshie
13-Vrana, 92-Kuznetsov, 10-Sprong
73-Sheary, 14-Panik
62-Hagelin, 26-Dowd, 21-Hathaway
Defensemen
4-Dillon, 74-Carlson
9-Orlov, 2-Schultz
33-Chara, 3-Jensen
34-Siegenthaler or 57-vanRiemsdyk
Goaltenders
41-Vanecek
30-Samsonov
Out
6-Kempny (Achilles' tendon)
20-Eller (lower body)
43-Wilson (League suspension)
Extras
34-Siegenthaler or 57-vanRiemsdyk
Taxi Squad
16-Maillet (F)
28-Carr (F)
31-Anderson (G)
64-Pinho (F)
NEW YORK
Forwards
20-Kreider, 93-Zibanejad, 89-Buchnevich
10-Panarin, 16-Strome, 43-Blackwell
13-Lafreniere, 72-Chytil, 24-Kakko
48-Lemieux, 17-Rooney, 21-Howden
Defensemen
55-Lindgren, 23-Fox
79-Miller, 8-Trouba
25-Hajek, 42-Smith
Goaltenders
40-Georgiev
71-Kinkaid
Out
31-Shesterkin (groin)
Extras
12-Gauthier