[AP Recap – Game Summary – Event Summary – WashingtonCaps.com Postgame – AP Preview – WashingtonCaps.com Preview]
Last night, Sean Collins became the 12th player the Caps have dressed as a defenseman this season, with numbers nine through twelve all making their debuts within the past half-dozen games.
Put another way, when the Caps’ and Hurricanes’ top minor League affiliates squared off in Albany a month ago today, four current Caps blueliners were in uniform for the Bears.
Put yet another way, including last night’s game, the six defensemen the Caps skated last night have a combined 699 games of NHL experience, nine fewer than Leafs’ rearguard Tomas Kaberle.
You get the point – they’re mighty green, when they should be Mikey Green.
And yet the Caps had their second straight dominating performance at even strength, outshooting the Leafs 26-10, allowing the fewest even strength shots in a game since the third game of the season against Vancouver.
A couple of quick thoughts on the game:
No rest for the weary, of course, as the Caps head down to Raleigh to take on a struggling ‘Canes team that eked out a point last night at home against Philly.
Since the Caps last saw Carolina, Washington has gone 6-5-1, but the ‘Canes haven’t managed to take advantage of the Division leader’s injury woes and mediocre record, going 4-6-1 (and have replacing their head coach along the way). They now trail the Caps by a half dozen points, making this four-point Divisional game enormous for them.
Carolina has been good (3-1-0) in the second game of back-to-backs, while the Caps have struggled (1-2-1), though with Cam Ward on the shelf, Michael Leighton having played in last night’s overtime loss and backup Justin Peters having never played a minute in the NHL, their goaltending situation is somewhat precarious. Having to fly 546 miles to play a game less less than 19 hours after your previous one ended is no picnic for the Caps, so it will be a major gut check for both teams. Judging from what I’ve seen of Carolina’s guts in the past, I’d give the edge to the Caps in that category.