The Caps pulled away in the second period however, thanks to goals by Troy Brouwer and Alexander Semin to take a 3-1 lead. Early in the third period the Caps put the nail in the coffin when Alexander Semin picked up his second goal of the game, assisted by Alex Ovechkin and Karl Alzner. On the night in the 4-1 victory, Tomas Vokoun saved 32 of 33 shots on goal.
We'll have more on this game throughout the day on SB Nation D.C., but for more on the matchup you can check out the NHL hub on SB Nation. For more on all things Capitals head over to our Japers' Rink blog. For some perspective from the other side of the ice, head over to Blueshirt Banter.
The Washington Capitals are coming off a 4-2 tough loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Monday, and they have a chance to get back on track when they host the New York Rangers on Wednesday night before a quick rematch with the Sabres on Friday. The Rangers are coming off a 3-0 victory over their in-state rival New York Islanders.
Here is everything you need to know about where and when to find the game on Wednesday.
We'll have more on this game throughout the day on SB Nation D.C., but for more on the matchup you can check out the NHL hub on SB Nation. For more on all things Capitals head over to our Japers' Rink blog. For some perspective from the other side of the ice, head over to Blueshirt Banter.
BALLSTON, Va. - The Washington Capitals held their typical pregame morning skate Wednesday in preparation for their game against the New York Rangers. While it seemed that there wouldn't any changes in the lineup, there will be one.
Jay Beagle did not take part in the extra work with the team's apparent scratches, while Mathieu Perreault did. Perreault confirmed after he left the ice that he will not play Wednesday and head coach Dale Hunter said that Jay Beagle will take Perreault's place in his first game since October 13.
"When someone gets an injury, he's one of these kids that want to play," Hunter said. "You see how hard he works in practice, by watching practice, that he wants to play. He'll give us some energy, he gives us size. Especially against the Rangers, the third, fourth lines are big guys and we need some size."
Perreault was injured during the third period of Washington's 4-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres Monday when his stick got caught on the boards during an attempted hit and speared him in the midsection. He stayed behind in Buffalo after the team left for observation, but returned to practice Tuesday. Despite that, Perreault said Wednesday that he's still sore and it sounds like the team is taking precautionary measures.
Beagle hasn't played since suffering a concussion during his fight with the Pittsburgh Penguins' Arron Asham October 13. He will likely center the fourth line of Matt Hendricks and Mike Knuble:
