Carolina Hurricanes Search for Back-to-Back Wins Against the Washington Capitals
By Brett Finger
Fresh off their first win of the 2015-2016 season, the Carolina Hurricanes will look to pick up their second win in as many nights against the Washington Capitals.
The Carolina Hurricanes came out flying against Detroit on Friday night to get their first win of the year, but will that momentum carry over into Saturday’s matchup against the division-rival Caps?
Information
Carolina Hurricanes (1-3-0) vs Washington Capitals (2-1-0)
October 17, 2015 – 7:00 pm (EST)
Verizon Center – Washington D.C.
TV Radio – Fox Sports South East/99.9 FM The Fan/WRALSportsFan.com
Lineups
Carolina Hurricanes
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Washington Capitals
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Preview
Coming off of a massive victory on Friday night, the Carolina Hurricanes will get right back to business less than 24 hours later as they take on Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals.
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The Canes picked up their first win of the season in convincing fashion in Detroit last night. Breakout performances from Eric Staal and Kris Versteeg, an outrageous NHL debut from Brock McGinn, and a spirited all-around team effort came together in a dominant fashion in route to a 5-3 win over the Red Wings on the road.
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The offensive showing from Carolina in Hockey Town is what stood out the most. The team scored a season-high 5 goals against the Red Wings, led in large part by the first line of Brock McGinn (2 points), Eric Staal (3 points), and Kris Versteeg (3 points).
The first line exploded offensively, and McGinn was a big part of it. 55 seconds into his NHL debut, Brock McGinn tallied his first NHL goal and set the tone for the Hurricanes for the rest of the night. The Canes needed a big showing from their rookie, and that is exactly what they got on Friday.
Justin Faulk was, again, remarkable for Carolina in Detroit. The defensive anchor will be vitally important in Washington. He will see a lot of time against the Caps’ top forward line featuring the league’s best pure goal scorer, Alex Ovechkin.
O.V. has led his club to a 2-1-0 start, one which has included wins over the New Jersey Devils and Chicago Blackhawks and a loss to the San Jose Sharks.
Washington has been off since Thursday, so expect them to come out fast and aggressive on Saturday. It will be imperative for the Carolina Hurricanes to weather the early storm and keep things in hand in the early going.
Carolina Hurricanes
John Carlson and Alex Ovechkin have led the way offensively for the Caps thus far, and they will be main focal points for the club’s attack against Carolina. They are both dangerously skilled players, and Carlson has continued to rise as one of the league’s premier defensemen.
Nicklas Backstrom may step into the lineup and play his first game of the 2015-2016 season tonight, which could make the Caps even more dangerous than they have been so far. He skated on the team’s second line during morning skate on Saturday. He led the Caps with 1.96 points per 60 minutes last season.
There has yet to be a confirmed starter for the Hurricanes against Washington, but Eddie Lack seems to be the likely choice in game two of this back-to-back set.
Cam Ward made very timely saves against the Red Wings last night, stopping 17 of 20 shots. Although he did make some great saves, he definitely isn’t in a situation where he’s giving the coaching staff no other option but to play him. Expect the Canes to give Lack another shot in net against the team that he absolutely shutdown during the preseason.
Brett Pesce was called up along with Brock McGinn on Tuesday night, and he was expected to potentially see one of the weekend games on Friday or Saturday. He didn’t see any action on Friday, and I expect that to stay the same on Saturday.
It is pointless to change up the lineup that brought the team its first win of the year and had the best performance. If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it. Bringing in a blue liner with no NHL experience against the Capitals on the road in a very important game isn’t ideal by any means, especially if the current lineup is firing on all cylinders.
The Carolina Hurricanes and Washington Capitals will feature a lot of top-flight talent on Saturday night in the nation’s capitals, and there will be an important 2 points on the line between the division opponents.