Monday Roundup/Gamenight: Caps @ Wings

[AP Preview - WashingtonCaps.com Preview]

Fresh off a win in the hardest Eastern Conference building for visitors to go in and leave happy (at least prior to Saturday night), the Caps head to Motown to face the Red Wings, who sport the NHL's best home mark at 14-3-1.

Detroit leads the League in points and is second in both goals against average and goals for per game. The Wings are fourth in the League in power play efficiency, sixth in penalty killing, first in five-on-five for/against ratio, first in shots on goal per game for and against, and have won eight of their last nine (the loss coming in a shootout last week).

Needless to say, Boudreau's boys will have their work cut out for them, visiting a building in which they haven't played in more than four years.

Why The Wings Will Win:

"Depth, depth, depth, and also depth. The Wings have stepped up their play with Tomas Holmstrom and Kris Draper out of the line-up, with all four lines contributing, and the possible returns of the Human Screen and the Wings' steadiest forward, respectively, will make the Wings that much harder to play against. Kronwall has stepped up his play on the back end, supplementing the Lidstrom and Rafalski's offensive punch and Chelios and Lilja's solid defence. Unless our boys keep scoring goals against themselves, I can't see the Caps outhustling, out-skating, or out-checking the Wings over sixty minutes of play. Mike Green and Tomas Fleischmann will continue to make the Robert Lang trade look dumber and dumber over time, but they won't have their revenge on Monday night." - Red Wings Snapshots

"Because of Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk,Tomas Holmstrom, and Nick Lidstrom. Also, they've outscored the Southeast Division 14-6 this season. I'm not very good at smack talk, but the Wings' record and roster mostly speak for themselves." - On the Wings

Daily Awards

• Hart: Jarome Iginla (2G, including the game-winner, 2A, +1, 3 SOG)
  
• Ross: Kristian Huselius (5 points)
  
• Norris: Jay Bouwmeester (G, A, 3 SOG)
  
• Vezina: Tomas V0koun (W, 44 saves on 45 shots against)
  
• Richard: Jarome Iginla, Daymond Langkow, John Madden, Joel Perrault (2G each)
  
• Calder: Torrey Mitchell (SHG, +1, 2 SOG, 2 hits)
  
• Aiken: Stephen Valiquette (L, 5 goals allowed on 26 shots against)