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The Caps were hard-luck shootout losers after two flukey penalties and two flukey goals in twelve seconds tied it up for Winnipeg in the final three minutes of the game.
The first period between the Washington Capitals and Winnipeg Jets Thursday had the feeling of a boxing match. There was a lengthy feeling out process, but no major blows landed as Washington and Winnipeg are scoreless after 20 minutes.
For once, the Caps had the upper hand in shot differential as they fired 12 shots to the Jets' four, but Ondrej Pavelec stopped them all as he faced a barrage near the end of the period. Tomas Vokoun has not been challenged thus far, but has stopped four shots.
The Washington Capitals will play their second Southeast Division game in three days Thursday, as the Winnipeg Jets visit the Verizon Center (7:00 p.m ET).
On Tuesday, the Capitals regained the division's lead with a 4-0 shutout victory over the Florida Panthers. Meanwhile, the Jets are trailing Washington by four points. The two teams have already played three time this season with Capitals earning a 2-1 advantage.
The Caps might catch a break Thursday as Kyle Wellwood, who has four points (two goals) in three games against the Caps this season, did not make the trip due to an illness.
For those who'd like to catch the game, here's the game time, TV information and links to the radio streams.
Location: Verizon Center, Washington, D.C.
Game Time: 7:00 p.m. on EST
TV Channel: Comcast SportsNet
Caps' Radio: 1500AM
Announcers: John Walton (play-by-play), Ken Sabourin (analyst)
Jets-Capitals line: Capitals (-160)
For more on Capitals hockey, check out the SB Nation blog Japers' Rink.
BALLSTON, Va. - Washington Capitals forward Mike Knuble has been a staple of the team's lineup for the better part of three years. Yet, based on Thursday's morning skate at Kettler Capitals Iceplex, he will be a healthy scratch against the Winnipeg Jets.
Knuble took part in extra work with John Erskine and Michal Neuvirth Thursday. It will be his first healthy scratch since April 9, 2010, when he sat out at the end of the regular season after the Caps had wrapped up a playoff spot.
This time, however, Knuble will be a healthy scratch based on performance. Knuble politely declined to comment Thursday, but head coach Dale Hunter explained the reasoning behind his decision.
"It's always hard to do, but we put [Jay Beagle] in [for] more speed and Mike hasn't scored in a while," Hunter said. "We figured [we would] get him up top [in the press box] and watch the game."
In 53 games this season, Knuble has just three goals, 11 points and is a team-worst minus-14. Knuble has not scored since December 5, a span of 27 games, and his streak of eight consecutive seasons with at least 20 goals is all but over.
"I've been through it and if you've played hockey you've been through it," Hunter said. "You don't like it and that's the way you want the guy to react. You can't say, 'Oh, it's fine.' He doesn't like it, but it's part of hockey."
In other news, Tomas Vokoun will start in goal for Washington after a 42-save shutout against the Florida Panthers Tuesday.
The Washington Capitals may have won one important Southeast Division game Tuesday, but they face yet another one Thursday at Verizon Center when the Winnipeg Jets pay their second visit of the season.
Tuesday, the Caps reclaimed the Southeast Division lead in a 4-0 victory over the Florida Panthers after relinquishing it last week in a loss to the Panthers. Alex Ovechkin scored twice and Tomas Vokoun made 42 saves for his fourth shutout of the season and second against Florida.
Meanwhile, Winnipeg is four points behind Washington, though they have played two more games. The Jets play three of their next four games on the road before starting an eight-game homestand. The Caps might catch a break Thursday as Kyle Wellwood, who has four points (two goals) in three games against the Caps this season, did not make the trip due to an illness.
Washington is 2-1-0 against Winnipeg this season.
Jets Vs. Capitals Recap: Winnipeg Scores Twice In 12 Seconds To Tie It Late, Win In Shootout
The Washington Capitals lost 3-2 to the Winnipeg Jets in a shootout on Thursday night at Verizon Center.
After more than fifty minutes of scoreless play, the Caps finally got on the board on a power play goal by Alex Ovechkin. Winnipeg's Tobias Enstrom was sent to the box for a dubious slashing call. Enstrom snapped Matt Hendricks's stick in half in retaliation after the Capitals forward had slashed down on Enstrom's stick twice prior. It didn't take long for Washington to capitalize on the man advantage, as Ovechkin took a ricochet off the board behind the net and buried a shot from the bad angle to beat Ondrej Pavelec.
Just three minutes later, Semin and Ovechkin would hook up again on the power play to give Washington a two-goal lead. Hendricks drew the penalty yet again, as Bryan Little was sent off for a double minor after high-sticking Hendricks and drawing blood. Again, it took only seconds for Washington to capitalize. This time, it was Ovechkin feeding Semin with a perfect pass through the defense. Semin cut to the back post and easily put it into the back of the net. It was an amazing pass to Semin for what was, surprisingly, his first power play goal of the season.
Looking to cut into the lead with a rare 6-on-3 advantage, the Jets finally got on the board with two minutes remaining. With traffic in front, Andrew Ladd was pushed into Tomas Vokoun by Karl Alzner and Evander Kane poked in the rebound to cut the Caps lead in half. Just seconds later, the Jets evened it up at 2-2 on a flukey goal by Dustin Byfuglien from center ice that took a crazy bounce of a Washington defenseman's stick, leaving Vokoun no chance.
A scoreless overtime gave way to a shootout. Alex Oveckin led off with a well-timed shot through the five-hole of Pavelec. Blake Wheeler responded with a similar move, putting it right through the legs of Vokoun on the backhand. After Semin was stuffed, Bryan Little gave Winnipeg the the advantage heading into the third round. Pavelec then stopped a Matthieu Perreault backhand to end it and give Winnipeg the two points.
For more news, analysis and discussion on the Capitals, visit Japers' Rink, SB Nation's Caps blog.
Feb 09 9:46p by Brendan Porath