• HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • North Division
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • East Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • Dallas Stars
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Nashville Predators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • West Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • Minnesota Wild
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • NHL Prospects
  • World Juniors
  • Archives
  • Podcast Network
  • More…
    • CHL
      • Ontario Hockey League
      • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
      • Western Hockey League
    • Columns
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • Site Index
  • NHL Salary Caps
  • Hockey 101: A Beginner’s Guide
  • Join Our Team
  • Free Newsletter
  • Store
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • North Division
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • East Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • Dallas Stars
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Nashville Predators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • West Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • Minnesota Wild
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • NHL Prospects
  • World Juniors
  • Archives
  • Podcast Network
  • More…
    • CHL
      • Ontario Hockey League
      • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
      • Western Hockey League
    • Columns
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
Home
Washington Capitals

Preview: Capitals Prepare for Matinee with Canucks

By Sammi Silber December 11th, 2016

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

The Washington Capitals are seeking their fourth straight win, and are looking to keep the ball rolling as they take on Vancouver Sunday.

Washington had an outstanding win Friday against Buffalo when they made the most of their opportunities and shut down the Sabres’ offense. They will have to have the same mentality Sunday, especially to keep up with points in the tight Eastern Conference standings.


Vancouver Canucks at Washington Capitals

Verizon Center – 5 p.m. EST

Broadcast channels – CSNMA

2016-17 Season Series:

Oct. 29 – Capitals 5 Canucks 2

Washington Capitals – 16-7-3, 35 Points

Away Record: 10-4-0

Hot Players: Nicklas Backstrom, Marcus Johansson

Key Injuries: Matt Niskanen (Upper body; Game time decision)

Projected Lines:

Forwards

Alex Ovechkin-Evgeny Kuznetsov-Justin Williams

Marcus Johansson-Nicklas Backstrom-T.J. Oshie

Andre Burakovsky-Lars Eller-Jakub Vrana

Daniel Winnik-Jay Beagle-Tom Wilson

Defense

Karl Alzner-John Carlson

Brooks Orpik-Dmitry Orlov

Nate Schmidt-Taylor Chorney

Goaltender

Braden Holtby

[irp]

Vancouver Canucks – 12-14-2, 26 Points

Away Record: 4-9-1

Hot Players: Daniel Sedin, Henrik Sedin 

Key Injuries: Derek Dorsett, Anton Rodin, Chris Tanev, Alexander Edler, Philip Larsen, Ryan Miller

Projected Lines:

Forwards

Daniel Sedin-Henrik Sedin-Jannik Hansen

Loui Eriksson-Brandon Sutter-Markus Granlund

Sven Baertschi-Bo Horvat-Alexandre Burrows

Brendan Gaunce-Michael Chaput-Jayson Megna

Defense

Ben Hutton-Erik Gudbranson

Luca Sbisa-Troy Stecher

Nikita Tryamkin-Alex Biega

Goaltender

Jacob Markstrom


Game Notes

1)With Matt Niskanen almost back to full health, the Capitals reassigned Aaron Ness to Hershey. Niskanen was hurt in Washington’s overtime victory over Boston on Wednesday, and Barry Trotz will provide an update on his status prior to puck-drop. He’s expected to be a game-time decision, but if still out, the defensive pairings will remain the same.

The Caps have reassigned Aaron Ness, which is a good sign for Niskanen's health. Unclear if he'll play tonight though.

— Isabelle Khurshudyan (@ikhurshudyan) December 11, 2016

2)Washington’s power-play is growing better each game, which brings back memories of their unstoppable PP unit from a season ago. They went 2-for-3 on the man advantage against Buffalo and will have to keep that momentum going against Vancouver Sunday. However, that may be tough, given Vancouver’s 85.3 percent success on the penalty kill is the fifth-best in the NHL.

3) Marcus Johansson is hot right now, and is showing no signs of slowing down. The Swedish forward is riding a four-game point streak and has six points over that period. He’s always involved with the rush, and working with Nicklas Backstrom, is part of one of the hottest duos in the NHL right now. If the Capitals want a win, they’ll have to rely on him to continue the streak.

Marcus Johansson scored a goal and an assist in Friday's 4-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres.

— Sapere Aude (@PrimaScriptura) December 10, 2016

4)Though Philipp Grubauer played an excellent game against Buffalo Friday, Braden Holtby is expected to return between the pipes for the Capitals. In his career against the Canucks, Holtby is 2-1, with a 2.36 GAA and .920 save mark.


With the Eastern Conference as tight as it is, this is the perfect time for Washington to show that they’re still one of the top teams in the NHL. Every win counts going forward, and they are close to proving their worth as Cup contenders this season.

In order to win against the Canucks, Washington needs to emphasize an early start and get pucks on net from the get-go. They also need to shut down the power-duo that is the Sedin Twins, and also need to solve their high-ranking penalty kill if they want to score on their power-play chances.

  • Tags
  • Braden Holtby
  • Marcus Johansson
  • Matt Niskanen
  • Nicklas Backstrom
  • Top Story
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

Get theScore App Now!
Recent Posts
Jan 21st 5:55 PM
Edmonton Oilers

McDavid Has the Maple Leafs’ Number and Needs to Keep it That Way

Jan 21st 5:08 PM
Archives

NHLers by Country: On Top of Their Game and the World

Jan 21st 4:50 PM
Edmonton Oilers

Oilers Missing Klefbom and Neal on Power Play

Jan 21st 4:40 PM
Minnesota Wild

Wild’s Soucy & Sturm Look Comfortable Filling Roster Gaps

Jan 21st 4:30 PM
Colorado Avalanche

Avalanche With Career Milestones in Sight in 2020-21 Season

Jan 21st 3:45 PM
Tampa Bay Lightning

The Lightning & Pat Maroon Are a Really Good Fit…For Now

Jan 21st 3:35 PM
Vegas Golden Knights

Golden Knights’ Depth Separates Them From the Rest

Jan 21st 3:15 PM
Columbus Blue Jackets

Blue Jackets’ Alexandre Texier, New Faces Shine to Begin Season

Jan 21st 2:45 PM
Edmonton Oilers

Oilers News & Rumors: Neal, Yamamoto, Tippett, More

Jan 21st 2:15 PM
Column

Senators News & Rumours: Stützle, Norris, Galchenyuk and More

Editor’s Picks
NHL TV Blackouts & Why They Happen?

NHL TV Blackouts & Why They Happen?

The 1979 NHL – WHA Merger

The 1979 NHL – WHA Merger

Masthead

Newsletters

RSS Feeds

Privacy Statement

Contact Us

About THW…

Founded in 2009, The Hockey Writers is a premier destination for news and information on everything hockey. Updated daily with news and features from over 130 writers worldwide. Over 2 million monthly readers now come to THW for their hockey fix.

© The Hockey Writers 2020. All rights reserved.
logo
  • HOME
  • Hockey Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • North Division
    • Calgary Flames
    • Edmonton Oilers
    • Montreal Canadiens
    • Ottawa Senators
    • Toronto Maple Leafs
    • Vancouver Canucks
    • Winnipeg Jets
  • East Division
    • Boston Bruins
    • Buffalo Sabres
    • New Jersey Devils
    • New York Islanders
    • New York Rangers
    • Philadelphia Flyers
    • Pittsburgh Penguins
    • Washington Capitals
  • Central Division
    • Carolina Hurricanes
    • Chicago Blackhawks
    • Columbus Blue Jackets
    • Dallas Stars
    • Detroit Red Wings
    • Florida Panthers
    • Nashville Predators
    • Tampa Bay Lightning
  • West Division
    • Anaheim Ducks
    • Arizona Coyotes
    • Colorado Avalanche
    • Los Angeles Kings
    • Minnesota Wild
    • San Jose Sharks
    • Seattle Kraken
    • St Louis Blues
    • Vegas Golden Knights
  • World Juniors
  • CHL
    • Ontario Hockey League
    • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
    • Western Hockey League
  • THW Podcast Network
  • Store
  • FREE Newsletter
  • Search THW
  • More…
    • Join Our Team
    • The THW Archives
    • Prospects
    • The Goalie Page
    • NHL Salary Cap Information