SKATE SHAVINGS - News and Notes From Caps' Morning Skate

Do It Again - Twenty-four hours after taking a 2-0 win from the Islanders in New York, the Caps are seeking a repeat performance on home ice against the Vancouver Canucks.

"I think we knew what kind of game it was going to have to be," says Caps right wing Tom Wilson of Saturday's victory over the Isles. "We knew we were going to have to work hard and play tight defense. For the most part, we didn't give them much. We controlled their speed and took away their time and space. We were able to get one early and then seal the deal there at the end."
Wilson's goal early in the first stood up as the game-winner, and Alex Ovechkin scored into an empty-net with 10.2 seconds left to account for Washington's offense on the afternoon. As Wilson notes, the Caps were tight defensively, limiting New York to a mere 13 shots on net at even strength. In the second period, the Caps owned a 17-3 advantage in 5-on-5 shot attempts, and they held the Isles to just one shot on net at 5-on-5.
Just ahead of Sunday's game vs. Vancouver, the Caps learned they will be without defenseman John Carlson for the first time this season. Carlson enters the COVID-19 protocol, a day after winger Conor Sheary did the same just prior to Saturday's game with the Islanders. With Carlson missing Sunday's game, Caps captain Alex Ovechkin will be the only player to suit up for each of the team's first 39 games this season.
Washington expects to have defenseman Dmitry Orlov and left wing Carl Hagelin back in the lineup on Sunday against the Canucks. Both players entered COVID-19 protocol this past Monday, and both players missed the last two games after suiting up for each of the team's first 36 goals this season. Both were activated on Sunday afternoon.
On The Attack - Washington's Saturday afternoon victory over the Isles halted a four-game slide (0-2-2), and the Caps will now look to get right at home where they have struggled of late. The Capitals have one win in their last five home games (1-3-1) and they've also struggled offensively regardless of venue recently. They haven't managed more than three goals in a game in their last six contests, scoring a total of 14 goals in those half dozen games.
Although they only scored one goal at 5-on-5 in Saturday's win over the Isles, the Caps had the better of possession and territory in the game, and they generated a number of good looks and chances. The expectation is that some of those will start going into the net for them.
"I thought we did a good job offensively last night, with [offensive] zone time and generating chances against a team that tries to play a fairly tight defensive game," says Caps coach Peter Laviolette. "If the chances are there, you've got to score goals and so the focus is on the path to get to the scoring, and it's been a little bit inconsistent. But I thought last game we did a good job of putting pucks to the net, and people to the net, and trying to generate scoring chances. It just came down to a one-goal game and their goaltender played really well."
In The Nets - Ilya Samsonov gets the Sunday afternoon start for Washington. Samsonov is making his first start since Jan. 7 when he was pulled after allowing four goals on just 16 shots in 40 minutes of work in a 5-1 loss to the Blues in St. Louis.
Samsonov won his only previous career start against the Canucks on Oct. 25, 2019 in Vancouver in the fifth start of his NHL career. The Canucks owned a 5-1 lead in that game before Evgeny Kuznetsov sparked a Caps comeback with a goal at 19:59 of the second period to make it a 5-2 contest heading into the final frame. Washington got a shorthanded goal from Lars Eller and a pair of Michal Kempny tallies to tie the game at 5-5 before the third period was eight minutes old, and the Caps won it 6-5 in overtime.
For the Canucks, we're expecting to see Thatcher Demko in net for the second time in as many afternoons. Vancouver backup Jaroslav Halak was slated to start on Saturday in Carolina, but instead landed in COVID-19 protocol, leaving the Demko as a surprise starter against the Hurricanes and leaving the Canucks with journeyman Spencer Martin as Demko's backup. Martin has not seen NHL action in nearly five years, since suffering a 5-0 loss to the Kings in Los Angeles on Feb. 1, 2017 when he was a member of the Colorado Avalanche. Martin's NHL résumé consists of just three NHL games.
It's atypical for goaltenders to start both ends of a back-to-back these days, but Vancouver is seeking to halt a three-game skid and needs to make up some ground in the standings.
"I've never had concerns," says Canucks coach Bruce Boudreau of going with Demko for a second straight day. "He's one of those guys that can play. He's a big man, he plays a lot, and I have no concerns about him being able to go back-to-back.
"I was a little worried that he had a good, hard practice [Saturday] morning, under the assumption that he wasn't playing at 9 o'clock, and then having to play at 1 o'clock. I thought he made some really good saves out there."
Demko has started and lost each of the first three games on Vancouver's current five-game road trip, and he is 15-14-1 on the season with a shutout, a 2.70 GAA and a .914 save pct. He will be making his first career start against Washington, and according to Yahoo Sports, today will mark Demko's first career NHL appearance on zero days of rest.
All Lined Up - Here's how we believe the Capitals and the Canucks might look on Sunday afternoon in the District:
WASHINGTON
Forwards
8-Ovechkin, 92-Kuznetsov, 59-Protas
24-McMichael, 19-Backstrom, 43-Wilson
10-Sprong, 20-Eller, 49-Leason
62-Hagelin, 26-Dowd, 21-Hathaway
Defensemen
42-Fehervary, 57-van Riemsdyk
9-Orlov, 3-Jensen
52-Irwin, 2-Schultz
Goaltenders
30-Samsonov
41-Vanecek
Extras/Taxi Squad
6-Kempny
23-Sgarbossa
31-Shepard
38-Cholowski
Injured/Out
39-Mantha (upper body, indefinite)
73-Sheary (COVID-19 protocol)
74-Carlson (COVID-19 protocol)
77-Oshie (upper body)
VANCOUVER
Forwards
70-Pearson, 9-Miller, 6-Boeser
40-Pettersson, 53-Horvat, 8-Garland
92-Podkolzin, 18-Dickinson, 21-Hoglander
64-Motte, 91-Lammiko, 15-Highmore
Defensemen
23-Ekman-Larsson, 57-Myers
43-Hughes, 5-Poolman
77-Hunt, 2-Schenn
Goaltenders
35-Demko
30-Martin
Extras/Taxi Squad
44-Burroughs
56-Rempal
Injured/Out
20-Sutter (illness)
25-Keeper (leg)
27-Hamonic (lower body)
29-Sautner (COVID-19 protocol)
39-Chiasson (COVID-19 protocol)
41-Halak (COVID-19 protocol)
55-Brisebois (undisclosed)
73-Dowling (COVID-19 protocol)
79-Ferland (concussion)