Another west coast battle awaits the Caps tonight as they head just outside Los Angeles to take on the Anaheim Ducks – a team they rarely get to see, and therefore one that Caps fans may not know a lot about.
So we chatted with Josh Gane from Anaheim Calling ahead of tonight’s game to get the rundown on these scrappy Ducks (and to provide a little information on our Caps, as well). Enjoy!
JR: With a little over a quarter of the season down, what has surprised you the most about the Ducks so far?
Josh: In my opinion it has to be the young players. Mason Mctavish, Pavel Mintyukov and Leo Carlsson specifically have provided hope for the future of this organization. We’ve seen what Terry, Zegras, and Drysdale are all about but did not expect those three players to look this good this early in their careers. Mintyukov is a defenseman way ahead of his time at 20 years old. More about him in the next question. Leo Carlsson looks like he was the right decision over Adam Fantilli. That’s not a knock on Fantilli but more of a compliment to Carlsson. The kid is insane! His decision making, hands, and vision are Getzlaf-esque and yet, he’s bigger and seems faster than Getzlaf and he’s only 18 years old. There’s a lot of time for improvement and development with these two and it’s going to be fun to watch.
JR: Since most of us here in the DC area are safely ensconced in our East Coast Bias bubble, we may need some help with your roster…who is the one player most likely to keep us riveted to the screen when the clock ticks past midnight ET?
Josh: The most popular answer is probably Mason McTavish but I am going to give you two other names to consider. Pavel Mintyukov is our stud rookie defenseman. He just turned 20 years old on the 25th of this month and plays like he’s 27/28. He makes things happen on the ice that a 20 year old should not be able to do at the NHL level and hardly ever makes a foolish play. Minty is very intriguing to watch.
The second player is Frank Vatrano who is having his best season so far. He’s thrived thus far in Cronin’s system and doesn’t seem to slow down. I can imagine him being annoying to opposing team fans but if you can separate yourself from your Caps fandom and only watch his hustle and tenacity, you will probably appreciate him as a hockey player. He’s no Oshie but has a similar gritty style.
JR: Is Mason McTavish the real deal?
Josh: I have to say yes. The 3rd overall pick of the 2021 draft is proving he was worthy of the spot. He’s leveled up this year and I can see him become our next captain in the next season or two. He does a lot of things the Ducks have been missing the past few years. He’s tough, physical, and skilled. His shot and one-timer are arguably best on the team and like Mintyukov, seems to make things happen whenever he’s on the ice.
JR: Tonight is Round 9 of the epic Battle of the Stromes, Dylan vs. Ryan, and both are among their respective team’s leaders in scoring this season. Which Strome brother do you think will finish tonight with more points?
Josh: I haven’t had the chance to watch many Caps games but have always been a fan of Dylan Strome. (was disappointed the Ducks didn’t sign him) The fact that he leads the Caps in goals is not a surprise to me and he’s so young, I hope he’s a mainstay for y’all for years to come. Ryan has had a surprising beginning to the season after a disappointing 2022-2023 season. His line has been the Ducks’ best line by far and continues to score in almost every game.
I am going to say Ryan takes this one with 2 assists.
JR: What has been the biggest issue in the Ducks’ recent skid?
Josh: The theme for this year and honestly for the past few years has been slow starts to games and dumb penalties. The Ducks are notorious for going down early to their opponents in the first period and doing their best to fight back in the 2nd and 3rd period. However, the slow starts are usually due to bad penalties. The team also seems like up until this last game, a 3-1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday, lost the competitive spirit and determination that helped them start the season with a 9-6 record. Along with those reasons are key injuries to 2 of the top players on the team, Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale.
AC: Spencer Carbery seems like he’s been a great fit so far to start the season. Is this a surprise? Do you think it lasts and the Capitals make the playoffs this season?
Becca: A little bit of a surprise – Carbery has been around the organization for so long, aside from a brief stint with the Leafs, that we knew he was a good coach and that there was some familiarity there for a lot of the guys that he’d be coaching. I think the surprise is the speed with which he’s settled in and gotten the team playing decent hockey (although some of that is propped up by likely unsustainable goaltending).
As to whether that lasts and can get them to the playoffs…is it too much of a cop out to say, hopefully? There are still a lot of question marks in this lineup, so the fact that he’s got them playing winning hockey overall right now despite those is a good sign that if and when some things sort out (for example, getting the power play to score. Ever. At all.) they’ll be in good shape – but they’re in an incredibly tough division, so there’s very little margin for error if they’re hoping to make the playoffs.
AC: Ovi seems to continue to impress and age like a fine wine. His numbers aren’t where they used to be but are still impressive at his age and the minutes he’s played. Where do you think he ends the season in terms of points and goals? How many goals will he need next year to surpass the Great One?
Becca: Ovechkin has had an interesting start to the season – leads the team in scoring (because of course he does) but the usual jump isn’t quite there, and it’s led to some lackluster performances and, as you noted, numbers that aren’t where they used to be. That said, he’s getting a little better as the season goes on – if he stays healthy, there’s no reason why he can’t be in the 30-35 goal range by the end of the year. Crazy thing is that even that would be something of an anomaly since he’s only had one season with fewer than 40 goals (aside from the seasons shortened by COVID or a lockout).
If he falls short of 40 this year, which he seems to be on pace to do, the chase for Gretzky gets interesting. Should he finish with 30 goals, for example, he’ll be 42 goals shy of #99’s record. Which means he’d need to return to his previous scoring pace at the age of 39 – not out of the realm of possibility, but certainly not easy – to take care of business next season. My guess? It’ll take him until the end of his contract, which goes through 2025-26, to capture the record, but he’ll do it.
AC: Who has been the biggest surprise for your team this year/who should we keep an eye out for on Thursday? Obviously, Ovi, Wilson, Carlson, and Oshie are always top of mind.
Becca: The biggest surprise has probably been Charlie Lindgren in net, who is having an absolutely stellar start to the season – but he got the start against the Kings, so no worries for Ducks fans there (although Darcy Kuemper has been solid, as well). Always want to keep an eye out for Ovechkin, especially when he’s been kind of quiet, as well – but I’ll go with Dylan Strome. He’s been a great pickup from the start, but really found his stride in the last quarter of last season and that’s carried over into 2023-24.
AC: Will this be the game where the Strome brothers drop the gloves? If so, who wins?
Becca: Ha, I hope not! Dylan is a lover, not a fighter…but if they do, I’ll give the edge to “little” brother Dylan merely because he’s got the size advantage.
But no, seriously – play nice, boys.
AC: Both organizations have some pretty solid retro jerseys to boast about. It seems like the consensus for Anaheim fans is to return to the old color scheme and some sort of Wild Wing logo. I’m always curious, is it the same for Caps fans or do you like the Capital’s script/big W?
Becca: The Caps have done a decent job with the retros, although I never really loved the screaming eagle in any format (original or reverse retro). I love, love, LOVE the blue jerseys with the big W, though – might be my favorite incarnation, next to maybe the originals that I grew up with.
I think opinions in the fandom as a whole, though, are wide-ranging – they make ‘em, we’ll buy ‘em, because Caps fans love jerseys, but everyone kind of has their own favorite and it’s hard to find consensus on anything. It is DC, after all!