The Caps embark on a whirlwind four days Thursday night with their game at Verizon Center against Atlanta, playing three games in 95 hours, including a quick trip to Boston and back.
Following their tough loss to the Flyers, the Caps look to get back on track and close out the five-game homestand with a win against the Thrashers. After a practice at Kettler on Friday, the team then heads to Massachusetts for their final meeting with the Eastern-leading Bruins Saturday afternoon, then back home for a Sunday afternoon game with the Florida Panthers.
The Capitals have split their two games with Atlanta so far this season, with four of their final 21 games coming against Ilya Kovalchuk's crew. The Caps had a similar third-period meltdown in Atlanta in the first game of the season as they did against the Flyers, allowing three quick Thrasher goals in 2:10 in a 7-4 loss.
However, Alex Ovechkin made quick work of the Thrashers in their pre-Thanskgiving meeting, notching a hat trick to even the season series.
Of course, this could be a markedly different team the Caps see tomorrow than the final three meetings, as with the Thrashers only contending for the league's worst record, there likely will be some big changes when the two meet again in Atlanta on March 16th. The most likely could be goaltender Kari Lehtonen, who should command a good return in the trade market with the lack of quality goaltending available, but the team might also weigh trading Kovalchuk if a team comes up with the right offer.
As for the Capitals, this is another classic trap game for a team that has fallen victim to them a couple too many times, a game sandwiched with dates with the Penguins and Flyers as well as the Bruins and Panthers. While the Caps are safely in the lead for the Southeast, if they have any visions of trying to make a run at Boston, they will need to do so in the next six games, before 10 of their last 15 are away from Verizon Center.
Another thing the Caps will look to fix is their habit of taking preventable penalties, as for the second straight game, Washington was whistled for nine minors, opening the door for Philly to climb out of a 2-0 hole.
Ovechkin also will be looking to have another big night against Atlanta, as he has 23 goals and 21 assist in 26 career games against the Thrashers, including two of his eight career hat tricks.
And, with less than a week to go before the trade deadline, it's going to be important for the Caps to get points before a very tough weekend ahead.
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