Definitely agree with that. I think people had far too high expectations for "staying afloat until everyone returns", with a lot of fans seemingly still expecting a team 1st in the metro when the analysis was that Washington simply needs to stay around .500, but I would still like to see some improvement before Wilson and Backstrom return.

It should (in theory) be very hard to stop a team with a forward core of
Ovi-Kuzy-Wilson
Milano-Strome-Oshie
Sheary-Backstrom-Mantha
Johansson-Dowd-Hathaway

Feels like a move to shore up defense may happen though. Would not mind seeing Washington go out and (as long as its cheap and Eller probably gets sent the other way) someone on the left side who can either fit with Carlson or TvR.

I think we're doing a pretty ok job of just staying afloat. Somehow have more regulation wins than Carolina and Tampa!

Wow - now that is a stat that makes me feel better about the season so far

100% and I think at the TDL, the Caps will try to replicate 2018 TDL (where we got Kempny and Jerabek). Sending a 3rd for a "no-name" (or lower level name) player to fit that role that you described.

man if kempny didn't have back to back to back horrible injuries I think 2019-22 plays out a lot differently

Would Martin fer be given a chance then?

Didn’t know Capitals pregame live won an Emmy

Local Emmy right?

Emmy for the Best Live Sports Program.

Lindgren looks to be in net tonight.

Orlov skated but as an extra (being listed day-to-day was just wrong, but that is okay - take your time get healthy that's what matters).

Backstrom and Tom (non-contact jerseys) both skated and participated in practice

No Martin Feh / Kuemper

I like the thought Lavi had of putting Alexeyev on the right side. Could make him more useful if injuries crop up.

Grubauer and his .868 sv% (holy sh** that's awful) set to start for Seattle. Caps need to take advantage of it and light. him. up.

I have hope.

Mantha is really fun to watch. He needs more toi.

When he is on he is on

He was all over the ice last night. Really a fanastic game

Gotta think - he (along with the team) will only get better once Wilson returns.

Also, shoutout to Eller - he has also been great the last few games.

Oh yeah, I remember that I was actually going to do a couple game notes from the Seattle game, I should probably post them.
- So, uh, I only got to the game after the second period had started. (I may or may not have gotten a flat tire driving in DC and had to change it with a few friends and a parking attendant. I hate driving in the damn city)
- Alexeyev looks good on his first shift that I see, then immediately gets assassinated by Jamie Oleksiak. Glad to see the NHL actually doing their job and throwing him out though.
- Johansson has been an absolute steal of a contract. I hate to say it since I love both these guys, but McMichael and Snively would not be doing as well as MoJo imo.
- For all its gaps, the defense doesn't look toooooo horrible. I'll be happy to finally see the D back at full strength.
- OVI GOAL OVI GOAL OVI GOAL OVI GOAL
- Lindgren is looking pretty damn good right now. I don't know if it'll continue, but he's definitely earning his starts right now.
- The whole team really looked good throughout what I saw of the game. No real complaints, though I wish I had more to say.

Do you think eller knows his time might be up when backy comes back. And when backy comes back. Milano will blossom with Oshie and backy as his line mates.

Also luJo. Pretty solid. Nothing to complain. He isn’t a bust in my mind. Over the years we haven’t had room for him

I bet Eller has some idea. I did a mock team of when Backy comes back. Technically, the Caps don't need to trade Eller. They could just have 2 healthy scratches, and I believe the money would work. But it just wouldn't make sense to keep Eller. Not enough room (both in terms of tight cap space and roster spots). Anyways, beside the point...

I bet Eller knows. He has been playing very solid hockey as of late. LuJo too - agreed.

been really impressed with the team the last 5 or so games. not just getting wins but controlling games. oshie being back just makes everything click. the forward lines have a ton of balance, been really impressed with Protas, Strome, and Eller particularly. I also think that breaking Fehervary and Carlson up makes a big difference. both great players but for whatever reason just don't work together. Lindgren too has been great, well deserved first star of the week

I love this team

https://nitter.net/PR_NHL/status/1602894771739033600#m

Remember when Ovi was "regressing" in 2020 when he was only half a goal per game?

Thank god that narrative's dead.

Prospect Spotlight: Clay Stevenson

23 Years old Goalie

2021 Undrafted Free Agent signing: 2 Years, 855k

Current Stats:
ECHL: 9 GP, 5-2-2, .926 sv%, 2.31 GAA
AHL: 1 GP, 1-0-0, .926 sv%, 2.00 GAA

Details: Stevenson has had a strong start to his NHL journey splitting time in the ECHL and AHL. After a strong season at Dartmouth, putting up a .922 sv% and a 2.70 GAA in 23 games, Stevenson has adjusted well to the minor league level. His first game in Hershey was a strong one (and he has stayed on the Hershey roster while Hunter Shepard serves backup duty in DC), making 25 saves. One of the two goals given up was a case of getting him moving back and forth in the crease with a lot of passes, which we will have to see if that turns out to be a real issue, but for the most part had strong positioning and was steady in net. Stevenson has also won ECHL goalie of the week once so far and has already had his first ECHL shutout.

Overall thoughts: Stevenson has looked like a very good pickup in free agency by Washington to start this year, and someone who has been on his game ever since Caps training camp/Prospect showcase.

Expectations moving forward: I expect to see Stevenson continue to put up strong numbers in the AHL and ECHL this year, with the hope that he can replace Fucale in net for Hershey as soon as next year. Stevenson looks like someone who could end up being a good starter in the NHL moving forward, but he still has a long way to go. Thankfully, Due to Kuemper, there's no need to rush!

I hope to do these Prospect Spotlights occasionally throughout the year, thought Stevenson would be a fun one to start with.

Not really disappointed in the loss last night. I thought the Caps played great, once again. Dominated through first 40, and besides the first ~6 minutes in the third, really dominated as well. Otter just played amazing.

Has anyone else noticed that everytime the Caps play, the other goalie looks outstanding (for the most part)? Idk - maybe every fan feels this way.

Anyways, looking ahead - huge game on Saturday to try to bounce back. Then we got Wings and Senators. Could be two Ws going into Jets and Rangers. Afterwards, the Caps have a pretty "easy" stretch in early Jan to get some points (hopefully).

I’m not upset either. Happy someone else isn’t. We played well and it was fun to watch. Otter looked so calm in net on every shot. Just move on to the next game. Also Protas is an excellent forechecker. When he is in a battle among the boards he doesn’t lose. That’s an excellent trait. Also is it me or dowd deking more and trying to drive to the net more. He doesn’t play like a 4c with the puck.