Courtesy: Washington Post
WASHINGTON, D.C. – After a poor goaltending performance Tuesday night vs. the Carolina Hurricanes, Braden Holtby and the Washington Capitals are looking to bounce back at home versus the Nashville Predators at Verizon Center.
Holtby will once again start between the pipes Saturday for the sixth consecutive game, but the three-day layoff between games could have given the 24-year-old some much needed rest. Backup goaltender Michal Neuvirth was eligible to return to the lineup off of the injured reserve list, but head coach Adam Oates doesn’t want to rush things along and force the action potentially risking further injury. Philipp Grubauer will serve as the backup goaltender and Washington hopes he will stay on the bench for the entirety of this contest.
Capitals forward Brooks Laich continues to be hampered by a groin injury that has kept him off the ice, both in games and at practice, for the last 10 days. There is no word on whether or not he will move to the injured reserve list at any point, but until his mindset and physical health returns to normalcy, he will remain out indefinitely. Martin Erat will take his third-line center slot while Jay Beagle will be the centerpiece of the fourth line for the Capitals.
As for the Predators, despite being last place in the Central Division entering this tussle, they find themselves at 13-13-3 and just a point behind Washington with 29 — the Capitals are third in the Metropolitan Division with 30 points. Nashville will be receiving a boost at the back end as defenseman Shea Weber will return to the ice for the Predators after suffering an eye injury that has caused him to miss some time. The Predators enter the game on a four-game losing skid that has seen them tally just five goals in the process, so having Weber’s hard shot paired with budding star Seth Jones on the first defensive pairing could aid Nashville’s offensive output Saturday.
Unfortunately, Washington will not be able to see the return of one of their former top prospects in Filip Forsberg. Forsberg hasn’t played since Nov. 15 versus the Pittsburgh Penguins as he continues to be hampered with an upper-body injury. The 19-year-old hasn’t had a tremendous impact for the Predators much like the guy he was traded for in Martin Erat as he has been limited to just 12 games in 2013-14.
Washington needs a win Saturday as they are back at it tomorrow night as they will head to Madison Square Garden to face the much maligned New York Rangers Sunday night. Nashville is just 25th in the NHL in scoring goals as they average just 2.2 a game so this won’t be one of the better offenses the young Washington defense will face this season, That being said, the Capitals have had to shift around their defensive pairings once again as Patrick Wey will make his NHL debut Saturday. The Hershey Bears call-up will be paired with Dmitry Orlov on the third defensive pairing as he will get his first taste of the bright lights at Verizon Center against a team that doesn’t light up the lamps a ton.
Notes: In 28 games this season, Washington has allowed more than 30 shots 24 times. The Capitals have won six of their last seven meetings against the Predators and are 10-6-1 against Nashville all-time (6-2-0-0 at home). Four of the last six games have gone to overtime with Washington coming out victorious in each contest. Mike Green will be paired with Karl Alzner on the top defensive unit with John Carlson and Nate Schmidt manning the second pairing. Defenseman Steve Oleksy and Alexander Urbom are once again healthy scratches as the Capitals continue the shuffle of youth in their defensive gameplan.
