3/14, 6:00 AM - Caps/Thrashers Preview
Atlanta Thrashers at Washington Capitals
Friday, March 14th, 2008, 7:00 PM
Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.
TV: CSN
Last Meeting: 2/13/08, Caps lose in overtime 3-2
About the Opponent
Atlanta Thrashers: 31-33-8, 70 points, 4th in the Southeast Division, 14th in the Eastern Conference
Team Leaders
Goals: Ilya Kovalchuk (45)
Assists: Ilya Kovalchuk (31)
Points: Ilya Kovalchuk (76)
Plus/Minus: Niclas Havelid (+2)
Penalty Minutes: Eric Boulton (91)
Fights: Chris Thorburn (10)
Random Thrashers Fact
Yeah, I got nothing, which isn’t surprising given that the Thrashers are only six years old and the Caps play them eight times this year.
Random Thrashers Statistic
The Thrashers have allowed more goals (239) than any other team in the NHL
Keys to the Game
Washington
Play smart. Atlanta’s not a very deep team and they’re complete mess right now. The only way the Capitals lose this one is if the give it away.
Atlanta
Get lucky. Seriously, Atlanta is really just a complete mess right now and feeling is that the Thrashers just want this season over with so they can replace Don Waddell and start over.
Players to Watch
Washington
Alexander Ovechkin - he leads the NHL in goals, is going up against a fellow Russian left wing who’s second in the league in goals and the team that’s allowed the most goals in the NHL.
Atlanta
Ilya Kovalchuk - with Marian Hossa now in Pittsburgh, Kovalchuk is the Thrashers’ only game-breaking threat.
1) Doesn’t it seem that in the last month whenever the Caps play a team that they ’should beat’ they somehow lose? Toronto, Isles, Atlanta come to mind.
2) Your earlier assessment that the team still has a playoff shot is true, but they have ZERO margin for error, and these are the games that should be in the W column
No kidding. If the Capitals had been beating teams they ought to most of the time, they’d probably be in a playoff spot (or at least real close to one), but despite their struggles I’ll still take them on any given night against Tampa, Florida or Atlanta - especially not that the Lightning and Thrashers seem ot have pretty much packed it up for the season.