Oct. 27 vs. Vancouver Canucks at GM PlaceTime: 10:00 pm
TV: Comcast SportsNet
Radio: SportsTalk 980 AM
Washington Capitals (3-2-3)Vancouver Canucks (6-4-1)MatchupThe city of Vancouver is abuzz over Friday night?s game between the Capitals and the hometown Canucks. The tilt between Washington and Vancouver is the second game of the Caps? current four-game road trip, but more importantly to the locals, it offers their first chance to see Washington winger Alex Ovechkin on the ice at General motors Place.
Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary are the only three NHL teams against which Ovechkin has yet to play. And those three cities are the only three Canadian NHL towns where last year?s Calder Trophy winner has yet to play. Ovechkin?s arrival in town on Thursday is being treated as an event of great significance by the local print and electronic media.
For many of the Caps who hail from or have played in Western Canada, the trip represents a homecoming. Winger Matt Pettinger and defenseman Shaone Morrisonn will each have dozens of friends and family in attendance at Friday night?s game in Vancouver.
Washington got off on the right foot when it began its longest road foray of the season in Denver on Wednesday night. The Caps took an early lead on Chris Clark?s goal in the game?s first minute, and Washington never trailed. Olie Kolzig made 45 saves, the most he has ever recorded in a win in his career. The Caps got out of town just ahead of a big blizzard, taking a 5-3 win and two points on the plane with them.
?It?s so much more enjoyable winning that first game,? said Caps coach Glen Hanlon after the team opened the current trip with a win. ?It sets up the trip to give you an opportunity to get on bit of a roll. You spend the first night talking about winning the next game as opposed to what you are going to do to correct your mistakes. It?s a good win. These teams are so fast out here and they?re all well coached. It?s real tough hockey for us. Any points that we pick up are big.?
Washington is now 7-3-3 in its last 13 games, dating back to last season. Washington?s win at Colorado made the Capitals 3-2-3 on the season, the first time the Capitals have been over .500 eight games into the season since 2002-03 (4-3-1; they lost their ninth game that year and haven't been over .500 after nine games since 1997-98, 7-2-0).
Washington is third in the league in goals with an average of 3.62 goals per game. The Caps ranked 23rd in that department last season.
The Capitals have scored on 17% of their power play chances this season, the 14th best rate in the league. Washington has clicked on three of six (50%) power play tries in its last three games. The Caps have killed off 81.3% of the opposition?s power play chances this season, the 19th best figure in the NHL. Washington has killed 18 of 21 (85.7%) opposition power plays in the last three games.
The Canucks opened the season with a four-game road trip, and just completed a five-game trip. In between those two jaunts, the Canucks played their only two home games of the season to date, going 1-1. Vancouver is 5-3-1 on the road, with three of its victories coming in overtime.
First-year Canucks coach Alain Vigneault has the team in the middle of the pack offensively and defensively. Buoyed by the addition of workhorse goaltender Roberto Luongo, the Canucks are looking to rebound in 2006-07 after narrowly missing the playoffs last season.
Last season, former Capital Anson Carter had a huge season playing alongside Vancouver?s Sedin twins, Daniel and Henrik. Carter led the Canucks with 33 goals in 2005-06. Over the summer, Vancouver added ex-Cap Jan Bulis, hoping he might enjoy similar success with the Sedins.
Instead, former Islanders first-rounder Taylor Pyatt has experienced a rebirth with Vancouver and the Sedins this season. Pyatt has never scored more than 14 goals in any of his five NHL campaigns, but he has five in his last seven games this season while skating with the Sedins.
The Caps haven?t defeated the Canucks since a Valentine?s Day visit to Vancouver on Feb. 14, 2001. From this year?s Capitals, only Olie Kolzig and Richard Zednik remain with the team from that game, and Zednik spent most of the intervening time in Montreal.
Adam Oates second goal of the game won that game for the Caps at 4:19 of overtime. Earlier in that season, the Caps downed the Canucks at MCI Center, also winning in overtime. Andrei Nikolishin?s goal at 4:17 of the extra session gave the Caps a 3-2 win in that Nov. 22, 2000 game, played the night before Thanksgiving.
Since the start of the 1998-99 season, the Capitals are 2-6 against the Canucks and have been outscored by a combined 34-14. Oates? goal is the last scored by a Capital in Vancouver; Alex Auld blanked the Capitals (6-0 on Mar. 23, 2003) in Washington?s most recent visit to GM Place.
The Caps? last regulation win in Vancouver was a 3-2 triumph on Mar. 28, 1998. Washington?s Brian Bellows netted two goals in that game, his first in a Capitals? uniform.
Vancouver?s power play ranks 22nd in the league with a 12.5% success rate. The Canucks? penalty killing unit is 10th in the NHL with a kill rate of 87.3%.