One More – Playing their fifth game in eight nights and their final contest ahead of the NHL’s annual three-day holiday hiatus, the Caps will be looking to keep their feet firmly on the gas pedal for 60 (or more) minutes of hockey tonight when they host the New York Rangers at Capital One Arena tonight.
The Caps enter tonight’s Metropolitan Division matchup with just one victory in their last six games (1-3-2) and a three-point lead over the Rangers – as well as two games in hand on New York – in the Metro and Eastern Conference standings. Last season, the Caps had 50 points at this same juncture of the campaign – 36 games into the 82-game slate – and in Spencer Carbery’s first season of 2023-24, Washington had 42 points, one less than their current total of 43.
Tonight’s game is the first of two straight four-point Metro Division games; the Caps come out of the holiday break on Saturday night with a road game in New Jersey.
What we don’t know is what the Washington lineup might look like tonight. Ryan Leonard was a full morning skate participant, but others such as Tom Wilson and Connor McMichael were not on the ice for Tuesday’s morning skate – Monday was an off day – so there is some murkiness to the Caps’ lineup, which got a full re-jiggering on Sunday in Detroit.
“Everything lineup wise, I can confirm Logan Thompson will start tonight,” says Carbery. “Everything else, a ton of question marks. I haven’t talked to [director of sports medicine and head athletic trainer Jason Serbus] yet, so Leno has not been cleared. We’ve got some guys [taking a] maintenance [day], dealing with some minor injury stuff and sickness. So, everything will be game time.”
Despite a 3-2 overtime loss to the Wings on Sunday, the Caps’ lineup changes were successful; all four forward lines finished with positive possession analytics as the Caps controlled just over 61 percent of the 5-on-5 shot attempts in the game.
“When you lose a game like that in overtime and you come back in the game, everybody's frustrated,” says Carbery. “Results haven’t come of late, so you're even maybe a little bit more frustrated than you would be if you'd won two or three in a row, and then you drop a game like that.
“But going back through the film, as good a film as we've had all year long in that game, like so many good things from so many different lines, so many different [defensemen], just controlled play. Even the second period, where we lose that period 2-0, I go back through that period, and yeah, we have five or six hiccups that don't go our way – the penalty kill -- but then there were like 15 really positive things in that second period as well. So, I go through that whole game, and I really liked a lot of the things that we did with and without the puck.”
The idea now is to bring that game from Sunday afternoon to the ice one more time tonight against a Rangers team that has been strong on the road this season.
“Yeah, exactly,” concurs Caps defenseman Matt Roy. “One more game; we just need to keep our focus. And quick shifts will be good for us, keep our energy up throughout the game. And hopefully jumping out and getting an early lead and finding a way to maintain that.”
Frankie Machine – Heading into tonight’s slate of NHL activity, there are 211 NHL forwards who have played at least 25 games and scored at least six goals to this point in the season. Among that group, Caps right wing Ethen Frank ranks 206th in average ice time per game, at 11:46.
Tonight, Frank skates in his 50th NHL game, and his career totals to date are 10 goals and 10 assists for 20 points. Projected over a full 82-game season, those numbers would translate to 17 goals and 17 assists for 34 points, which is reasonable production for a middle six winger in the NHL, especially one whose ice time is under a dozen minutes nightly and who sees only occasional power play time.
Nearly a full calendar year after making his NHL debut with the Caps last Jan. 10, Frank is looking like a bona fide NHL player, one who is gradually garnering some power play time while also earning more trust and more ice time at 5-on-5. Given Frank’s high-end speed – his best asset – and his ability to finish, it’s possible he could nudge his way up to the 20-goal level at some point if his current trajectory continues.
“He's just continued to get better and better and better and more comfortable, and you can tell by his minutes that I trust him way more in all situations,” says Carbery. “He's making 90 percent of the time it’s the right read, it's the right decision with and without the puck. And so, when you get to that level as an NHL player where you can be trusted in all situations, now you get a lot of confidence, and he knows one mistake or one misread isn't going to affect the rest of his game, he's going to be right back out there.
“And the speed and the shot he's always had, and now he's doing a really good job too, of [being more consistent]. When Frankie wouldn't be [noticeable], you wouldn't see the speed for two or three games. Like, where'd that go? Now he's finding a way to put it on display almost nightly – like two or three or four times – where you go, ‘Who is 53?’ every night, and that's what he has the ability to do. So, if you can put that speed and that skating on display consistently night-to-night, he's doing a real good job.”
Frank’s rise in ice time is the biggest indicator that his stock is on the rise. He averaged 10:49 per game across 24 contests last season, while producing four goals and three assists. In adding just about a minute a night to his average this season, he has upped his production in a similar number of games. And over Washington’s last 10 games, Frank has averaged 13:26 per game, which is ninth among the team’s forward group over that span.
“I just think on a nightly basis, I'm just trying to use my legs and speed,” says Frank, “whether it's disrupting the other team on their breakouts, or through the neutral zone, or even in zone, and trying to catch them off guard and get on my horse right away and get the puck 200 feet away from our net. I think just focusing on that, it makes it easier for my linemates to read off me and know what I'm doing, and kind of gives them an easy out. If we're in trouble in the zone, they can just kind of punt it out in the neutral zone, and I'll get on my horse to get there.
But yeah, I just think the more I more I get along with everyone, and more comfortable I get, I’m starting to realize that I can produce offensively in this league. And I think that if I just keep doing things the right way, that the good things will come.”
In The Nets – Thompson gets the start in net for the Caps tonight, seeking his 15th victory of the season. Lifetime against the Rangers, Thompson is 3-1-0 in four appearances – all starts – with a 3.26 GAA and an .891 save pct.
Igor Shesterkin is the likely starter for the Rangers tonight, and he is aiming for his 16th win of the campaign. Lifetime against the Capitals, Shesterkin is 8-5-1 in 14 appearances – all starts – with a 2.71 GAA and a .914 save pct.
All Down The Line – Here’s how the Capitals looked on Sunday in Detroit and how the Rangers might look on Tuesday night in the District:
WASHINGTON
Forwards
24-McMichael, 34-Sourdif, 8-Ovechkin
21-Protas, 17-Strome, 43-Wilson
72-Beauvillier, 29-Lapierre, 53-Frank
22-Duhaime, 26-Dowd, 63-Miroshnichenko
Defensemen
42-Fehervary, 74-Carlson
6-Chychrun, 3-Roy
57-van Riemsdyk
38-Sandin
Goaltenders
48-Thompson
79-Lindgren
Healthy Extras
15-Milano
47-Chisholm
52-McIlrath
Injured/Out
9-Leonard (upper body)
80-Dubois (lower body)
NEW YORK
Forwards
10-Panarin, 93-Zibanejad, 13-Lafreniere
50-Cuylle, 16-Trocheck, 94-Perreault
22-Brodzinski, 42-Laba, 14-Raddysh
78-Othmann, 39-Carrick, 73-Rempe
Defensemen
44-Gavrikov, 4-Schneider
24-Soucy, 17-Borgen
29-Robertson, 60-Morrow
Goalies
31-Shesterkin
32-Quick
Healthy Extras
18-Vaakanainen
43-Sheary
65-Berard
Injured/Out
8-Miller (upper body)
23-Fox (upper body)
84-Edstrom (lower body)
