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GDT: Canes @ Caps 3.26 7:00

A

andyt

Canes Moderator
Staff member
The Canes open a home and home in DC.

After scuffling around for most of the game on Sunday, the Canes rescued 2 points in OT over the Habs. They’re 3 points up on them, 5 up on Columbus, 4 behind Pittsburgh and the Islanders and 5 behind the Caps, with at least a game in hand on all of them. The Canes PP has been Petrie , 2 for the last 29 chances and both goals came in the same game, against Nashville. I suspect we’ll see Mrazek in goal.

The Caps are 6-3-1 in their last 10 games and are coming off a 3-1 win over the Flyers on Sunday. Ovechkin is closing in on another 50 goal season with 48, but he’s on a 4 game goalless streak and only has 4 in his last 14. They have 5 others with more than 20. Backstrom and Carlson each have more than 50 assists. Holtby hasn’t been great in goal, with 2.90 GAA and a .909 Save %. The Caps are 10th on the PP at 21.1% and 24th on the PK at 79.0%.

This is the one and only National TV game, NBCSN with The Mighty Forslund on the call. Mike Maniscalco will handle radio play by play wth Tripp.
 
Hey we get a National game this season.. I'll take it... Win this and Let Washington pack tears for their trip to Raleigh.

2 Important points are available. I want the set.
 
Mansicalco did some hoops play by play during tournament season back when he was with 99.9. He's wasn't terrible. IIRC he's got a background doing minor league hockey as well, so .... just watch the game on the National feed, enjoy Johnny and eliminate risk.

It's weird not having seen the Caps since December. I got so used to the old Division scheduling model that I'm still not used to seeing them less frequently. The Canes sit in an 0-2 hole in the season series, so it would be nice to take a sweep from this two game set, but a split would be fine. The Caps have been scuffling along at pretty much a .500 clip since that 7 game win streak they ripped off in late February and early March. And Andy has pointed out the three biggest issues ... Ovi hasn't been scoring, Holtby has been erratic and their PK hasn't been good. And generally, when Ovechkin isn't scoring, he gets frustrated and so do the Caps. One thing I'd like Carolina to do tonight is to keep Aho away from Wilson as much as possible. That would generally mean matching Staal or Wallmark against Washington's Number Ones, but I'd be good with that. They're both playing their best hockey of the season and the lines are as balanced as Carolina's ever going to get them with this roster.
 
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No lineup changes from Sunday except Mrazek goes in goal.


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Pretty much the most important game of the season...to date. :sarcasm

Seriously, this will be an educational playoff preview for our young team. An away-and-home with a day off in between that models the first-two-games-on-the-road-and-next-two-at-our-place pattern of a Round 1 series with the very opponent that stopping the merry-go-round today would dictate.

And I like that it's an away first and then home, so that if we don't match the pace in Washington we get a chance for redemption at home...like you want.

Good that they know sooner instead of later what it's going to take. Cup Champion would like to show them tonight.

Hope we surprise them by how ready we are.

Yeah, a split would be nice. But I'm hoping they're laser-focused on the game in front of them tonight.

Play game, win game. Go Canes!
 
andyt said:
No lineup changes from Sunday except Mrazek goes in goal.


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Click to expand...

No shock there. Honestly, I'd like to see Mrazek get most of the starts in this home stretch of the schedule. There's only one more back to back to mess with and his form has just flat out been better than McIlhenney's for the last month. Nothing against Mack ... other than the game against Tampa, I think he's continued to be solid. But solid is all you're getting out of him at this stage of his season. With things continuing to tighten up, I think we need at least the possibility of something more.
 
I just hope that the refs don't allow the Caps to clear out Hamilton when he's guarding Ovechkin like they did last time...
[video]https://www.nhl.com/video/ovechkins-second-of-the-game/t-300009522/c-63953203[/video]
 
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Tryamw said:
True it is the NHL after all.. It's rare you get good officiating...
Click to expand...

Referees:
Kevin Pollock #33, Garrett Rank #7

Linesmen:
Bryan Pancich #94, Tim Nowak #77

Canes are 0-2 with Pollock and 2-1 with Rank; Caps are 1-2 and 2-2, respectively. Rank is 4rh in the league in home win % at 62%. Home teams are 36-2 with him.


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I’m more concerned with Pancich ... who appeared to be personally offended by Carolina’s centers the last time we saw him.
 
Extra attacker, technically, but yeah, I think I know where you were going with that.

I'm actually a bit relieved that they didn't make it to the power play.
 
Tied after 2 Thanks Dougie Hamilton you cared so much you keep our Pitiful play unit off the ice.

Overall though some lacklustre play to go with the lackluster announcing.. I can barely hear the broadcast but the commercials are at normal volume... I miss FSCarolinas
 
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