The Caps arrive in Cali ready to take on the first opponent in their 4-game road trip out west. The Ducks come into tonight's game with 22 points, while the Caps are only 1 better at 23. The difference is that the Caps lead the Southeast Division with those 23 points, while Anaheim sits 11 points behind the Pacific Division-leading Sharks.
For the Caps Semin, Fedorov, and Morrisonn will all be watching the game from the press box. When Tarik asked Boudreau about Semin, he said that "It's still day-to-day. It's a pain thing. When it gets better, he'll be able to play." When asked about Fedorov and Morrisonn, Boudreau said "I'm hoping one of them will play tomorrow and maybe two. I'm hoping all three before the trip is out." Hopefully by the game in Minnesota Tarik will be reporting that they're all ready to play. Meanwhile, Theodore will get the start again tonight for the Caps. Odds are that gives Johnson the start against LA tomorrow night, but with Boudreau you never know.
With the incredible play so far of youngsters Ovechkin, Semin, Green, Backstrom, and Laich, the Caps have their top 5 scorers all under the age of 25. Corey Masisak did some digging and found that only Chicago gets more points from guys 25 or younger. The Caps are still the only team, however, to have all 5 of their top scorers under 25 years old. There are some surprises on the list, like Toronto, and the expected teams like the Caps, Pens, and Blues. Looking at the top teams on the list you can see that a talented core of young players is really key to a deep run into the playoffs.
The Peerless notes that Anaheim is a fighting team, as they are tied with Vancouver for the league lead in fighting majors. I wouldn't mind seeing Brashear square off with George Parros, as long as Donnie doesn't get drawn into that mustache. And with former Cap Brian Sutherby 2nd on the Ducks with 3 fights, we could see him drop gloves with someone like John Erskine.
Without Semin, Ovechkin needs to put the team back on his shoulders and hope the other guys step up and contribute. It will take a lot to get past the talented and veteran defense of guys like Pronger and Neidermayer. But as long as the Caps play their game and the defense shows Theodore some support tonight, they'll be a hard team to beat.
