#frederick samsonov

[duskofarcana]

[aboyfromterminus]

The secret side of me, I never let you see I keep it caged but I can't control it So stay away from me, the beast is ugly I feel the rage and I just can't hold it. Frederick Samsonov & Demon Balor - @duskofarcana

[andrebearakovsky]

This Week in Caps: Week 14

Welcome to This Week in Caps, a weekly newsletter where I recap everything important that’s been going on in the world of the Washington Capitals this past week.

This Week’s Games

12/31/18 vs Nashville Predators, L 3-6

It’s a matinee game for the last game of 2018. Sit down with some brunch, it’s time for some hockey. Oh, and Brooks Orpik was back, after being gone with injury since late October.

The Caps got up to a pretty good lead early. Just four minutes into the game, Michal Kempny took a shot from the point off a faceoff that gave the Caps a 1-0 lead. Four minutes later, Jakub Vrana banked in a beautiful pass from a falling-down John Carlson, and the lead was 2-0. The Predators got one back twenty seconds later when Rocco Grimaldi got a crazy-looking deflection, and it was 2-1. Things got weird in the second. Eight minutes into the frame, Braden Holtby sent a stretch pass to Devante Smith-Pelly, who tapped it to Chandler Stephenson for the 3-1 goal. Holtby notched his second assist of the year.

It was all downhill from there for the Caps. Miikka Salomaki tapped it in just a minute later to make it 3-2. Two minutes after that, Ryan Johansen tucked in a rebound to tie the game 3-3. And two minutes after that, Frederick Gaudreau fluttered in another rebound, and the Predators went up 4-3. And it didn’t get better in the third. Halfway through that frame, Ryan Ellis got a goal from the point, and with just two minutes to go, Viktor Arvidsson dunked home a goal on a two-man advantage, and the Preds were up 6-3. They would win the game 6-3.

The Caps were outshot, 34-25, and had the faceoff disadvantage at 41.4%. The Caps were 0/1 on the power play, and the Predators were 1/3 on theirs. Holtby saved 28/34 shots.

The Caps started off very strong, but they lost all control after the Stephenson goal. It was just messy, and an unfortunate way to end a fabulous 2018.

01/03/19 @ St. Louis Blues, L 2-5

The Caps started 2019 on a three-game road trip, beginning in St. Louis. They got a great present for the new year with the return of Matt Niskanen, who missed the last two with an upper body injury. The Caps hoped to get 2019 off with a bang against one of the worst teams in the league.

It did not get off to a great start. Four minutes into the game, Robert Thomas deflected a shot from the point, and the Blues went up 1-0. But the Caps got one late in the period when Alex Ovechkin rocketed home the puck to score his league-leading 30th goal of the season and tying the game 1-1.

Things started to get heated in the second period. Just two minutes into the period, Tom Wilson and Robert Bortuzzo got into a heavyweight fight; both players had committed infractions in the preseason that left members of the other’s team injured to start the season, and both had a nice sit in the box after the fight. One minute later, the Caps took the lead; Brett Connolly toe dragged and got a shot on goal, eventually poking home the rebound for the 2-1 score. But that would be all for the Caps. Ten minutes later on a Blues power play, defenseman Colton Parayko snuck in from the point and scored to tie the game 2-2. Four minutes after that, Oskar Sundqvist tucked home a rebound to make it 3-2 Blues.

Things did not get better for the Caps in the third. Five minutes into the frame, Blues captain Alex Pietrangelo scored from the point to make it 4-2. And five minutes after that, Tyler Bozak snatched a Caps turnover and scored on a breakaway chance, making it 5-2. The Blues would win by that score.

The Caps were outshot, 42-25, and completely obliterated on faceoffs, winning only 31.9%. The Caps went 0/3 on power play chances, and the Blues went 1/4 on theirs. Braden Holtby saved 37/42 shots.

This was another ugly game for the Caps, who lost control of play after the Connolly goal. This game was also chippy and heated and filled with multitudes of penalties on either side. And despite many power play and shorthanded chances, the Caps just couldn’t convert on anything, nor could they seem to get any shots on net. Lucky for them, they had a quick turnaround, and the next game was the next day.

01/04/19 @ Dallas Stars, L 1-2 (OT)

It’s possibly the most dreaded night of the season: the trip to Dallas, where the Caps have not won in regulation since 1995. Yeah, the team has gotten some wins recently against the Stars, but they remain the bane of their existence and are well in the head of the goalies, particularly Braden Holtby. Luckily, he would not be starting tonight, and it would be Pheonix Copley, who has never faced Dallas before, getting the start and hoping to break the curse of the Stars.

It took awhile for the first score, but it would be Dallas on the tally. Tyler Seguin converted on the power play, giving the Stars a 1-0 lead thirteen minutes into the frame. The Caps got their chance midway through the second period, when Lars Eller took the puck from behind the net and shoveled it in on a backhand to tie the game 1-1.

This game was absolutely stolen by both goalies. Both Copley and Anton Khudobin made save after save and were continually on the spot. Their play, along with the general tightness of the game, took their affair to overtime. After trading some good chances, Seguin dunked home the puck right in front of the net to end the game and give the Stars a 2-1 win.

The Caps outshot the Stars 37-29 and got destroyed on faceoffs, only winning 38.6%. They went 0/3 on power play chances, while the Stars went 1/3 on theirs. Copley saved 27/29 shots.

It was yet another game of unnecessary penalties and an inability to convert on the power play. But this game was close and stayed that way the entire time. But alas, the Caps could not truly break the curse of Dallas.

01/06/19 @ Detroit Red Wings, W 3-2

Hockey at an odd time of the day in an arena named after pizza? Sign me up. Get ready for some ugly hockey.

At the seven minute mark of the first, after some action at the Detroit net, Tom Wilson received a great pass from Evgeny Kuznetsov and dunked it in to give the Caps a 1-0 lead. Detroit tied it up seven minutes later as Anthony Mantha capitalized off a turnover, broke into the zone, and scored backhand five-hole on Braden Holtby. The Wings would go up seven minutes into the second frame on a great passing play, Dylan Larkin opening up Filip Hronek for the easy tap-in and a 2-1 Wings lead.

Six minutes into the third, the Capitals capitalized on another great passing play, with Alex Ovechkin sending a great pass to Travis Boyd who sent it into the open net and tied the game 2-2. And with just four minutes left in the game, Michal Kempny scored on a shot from the point to give the Caps a 3-2 lead that they somehow held onto.

The Caps had the shots advantage, 34-25, but had the faceoff disadvantage at 41.0%. Both teams were fruitless on the power play, the Caps going 0/4 and the Red Wings going 0/3. Holtby saved 23/25 shots.

This was an ugly game on both sides, and there were way too many penalties committed. And still, the power play looked abysmal and needs to get better. But regardless, the Caps got their first win of 2019, and they’d end the road trip 1-1-1.

Current record: 25-12-4

What’s Going on in the World of the Caps

2019 All-Star Game Announcements

On January 2, Alex Ovechkin announced that he would not be participating in the All-Star game this year. He will likely be suspended one game, either directly before or after the break, as a result. Later that day, the full All-Star rosters came out, and both Braden Holtby and John Carlson were named to the roster for the Metropolitan division for the Capitals. This is Holtby’s fourth straight appearance and Carlson’s first ever appearance. However, there is still one roster spot open per division, and each team has a candidate that can be voted in via the “Last Man In” vote, and the Caps’ candidate is Nicklas Backstrom, so please vote for him ten times a day to go to the ASG; voting is open until January 10. And, as of January 5, as the Caps were in first place in the division at the halfway point of the season, Caps head coach Todd Reirden will coach the Metropolitan division at the All-Star Game. (x, x, x)

2019 World Juniors

The 2019 World Junior Championship is over. Finland defeated USA to earn the gold, and Russia beat Switzerland to earn the bronze. Capitals defensive prospect and 2018 first-round pick Alexander Alexeyev was part of the bronze medal-winning Russian team. Alexeyev tallied two goals (1, 2) and four assists in six games, and he ended up tied for third in scoring among WJC defensemen. Elsewhere, Capitals defensive prospect and 2018 second-round pick Martin Fehérváry scored one goal and four assists in five games as the captain of Team Slovakia, and was named one of the top three Slovakian players of the tournament. Slovakia was eliminated by Russia in the quarterfinals. (x)

New Year’s Eve

After their game against the Predators on Monday afternoon, a number of Capitals took part in some New Year’s Eve festivities. The Russian Capitals (Alex Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Dmitry Orlov, and Dmitrij Jaskin), their significant others, and Capitals prospect Ilya Samsonov, spent the night at Mari Vanna, and the group took part in much singing and dancing. Kuznetsov rapped, and Ovechkin and the crowd sung We Are the Champions. Elsewhere, a number of Caps and their significant others were partying at La Vie at the Wharf. The second group included Andre Burakovsky, Tom Wilson, John Carlson, Braden Holtby, Nic Dowd, T.J. Oshie, Michal Kempny, Jakub Vrana, Brett Connolly, and Madison Bowey. I really wish I had a copy of everyone’s Instagram stories from that night to share with you, but I do not. Enjoy the content that I do have links to. (x, x, x, x, x, x)

Lewington to Hershey

On December 31, the Capitals sent Tyler Lewington back to the Hershey Bears to make room for Brooks Orpik’s return.

Other Miscellaneous Happenings

Ovechkin confident for new year because it’s Backstrom’s number

New team photos with the Stanley Cup shared by the Keeper of the Cup

Vitek Vanecek selected to 2019 AHL All-Star Game

Mother covers child’s eyes during Wilson-Bortuzzo fight

What did T.J. say in the box?

Upcoming Events

January 10th is John Carlson’s 29th birthday

The Capitals Wish Upon A Par charity event will be held on January 13

Player of the Week

Michal Kempny had a very strong week on the Caps’ top defensive pairing, filling in as Brooks Orpik and Matt Niskanen were out and then returned from injuries. In four games this week, Kempny tallied 4 points (2 G, 2 A), had a +2 rating, and averaged 19:36 TOI. His goal in Detroit was the game-winning goal, and the only game-winning goal for the Caps this week.

Social Media Post of the Week

Alex Ovechkin and Braden Holtby caught up with former Capitals teammate Mike Knuble after the game in Detroit. (x, x)

Stars of the Night Season Leaderboard

Over the course of the season, I will be keeping track of the Caps stars of the night, translating them into points, and organizing them into a leaderboard.

1st star = 5 pts, 2nd star = 3 pts, 3rd star = 1 pt

1. Ovechkin — 38 2. Holtby — 37 3. Backstrom — 19 4. Kuznetsov — 17 5. Carlson — 16 6. Wilson — 13 T-7. Burakovsky — 11 T-7. Copley — 11 T-7. Kempny — 11 T-10. Connolly — 6 T-10. Orlov — 6 12. Lewington — 5 13. Oshie — 4 T-14. Niskanen — 3 T-14. Smith-Pelly — 3 T-14. Vrana — 3 T-17. Boyd — 2 T-17. Eller — 2 19. Stephenson — 1

Achieved and Upcoming Milestones

Evgeny Kuznetsov recorded his 300th career NHL point on 01/06/19 at Detroit

Nicklas Backstrom is 1 power play goal away from taking sole possession of 5th in Caps history in power play goals

John Carlson is 2 power play goals away from being tied for 7th in Caps history in power play goals among defensemen (25)

T.J. Oshie is 2 goals away from 200 career NHL goals

Jonas Siegenthaler is searching for his first NHL goal

Next Week’s Upcoming Games

01/08/19 vs Philadelphia Flyers (7:30 PM) 01/10/19 @ Boston Bruins (7 PM) 01/12/19 vs Columbus Blue Jackets (7 PM)