Capitals Host Bruins in Lone Capital One Arena Preseason Tune-Up
The Washington Capitals are getting closer to the point where preseason hockey starts looking a lot more like the real thing.
Washington hosts the Boston Bruins on Friday night at Capital One Arena in the Capitals’ only home exhibition game in Washington this preseason. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m., with the game televised on Monumental Sports Network and carried on Team 980 and the Capitals Radio Network.
More importantly, Washington is expected to dress many of its regular NHL players. With training camp moving toward its final stages and roster decisions approaching, Friday provides head coach Spencer Carbery an opportunity to evaluate something much closer to the lineup he could use when the regular season begins.
The Capitals enter the matchup 1-0-1 through their first two exhibition games. Washington has already scored seven goals, including an impressive 5-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers in which Capitals defensemen combined for six assists.
Boston and Washington are also familiar with each other after meeting in the preseason opener Sunday at TD Garden. The Bruins won that game 3-2 in a shootout, but Washington used a lineup containing a significant number of prospects and organizational depth players. Friday should provide a much different test.
Capitals getting closer to regular-season form
The biggest storyline Friday is not necessarily the result. It is how Washington’s established players look as the Capitals continue preparing for the regular season.
The first two exhibition games allowed Washington to evaluate prospects and players competing for roster positions. Now the emphasis begins shifting toward chemistry, special teams and getting veteran players comfortable at game speed.
Washington’s defense has already been particularly productive. The Capitals’ blue line was responsible for six assists in Monday’s 5-2 victory over Philadelphia, continuing an offensive trend that was one of the club’s strengths last season.
Jakob Chychrun remains a major component of that attack. He finished last season with career highs of 26 goals, 34 assists and 60 points in 80 games. His 26 goals led all NHL defensemen, while his eight game-winning goals tied the league’s single-season record for a defenseman.
That ability to generate offense from the back end changes Washington’s attack. Rather than relying exclusively on its forwards to create scoring opportunities, the Capitals can activate defensemen, move the puck quickly through the neutral zone and generate shots through traffic.
Friday provides another opportunity to refine that system against a Boston organization that traditionally emphasizes structure and defensive responsibility.
Ovechkin remains out
One major name Washington will be without is Alex Ovechkin.
ESPN lists Ovechkin as out with a lower-body injury, while the Capitals have indicated the injury is not believed to be particularly serious. His absence makes getting additional preseason looks at Washington’s other forwards even more valuable.
There is little reason for Washington to rush Ovechkin into an exhibition game. The priority is having him healthy when the games begin counting in October.
His absence also creates opportunities elsewhere in the lineup. Players who normally would not receive significant offensive minutes can be evaluated in larger roles, including power-play situations.
Alex Tuch brings another major weapon
One of the most intriguing players to watch throughout Washington’s preseason is Alex Tuch.
Washington acquired Tuch after he recorded 66 points on 33 goals and 33 assists over 79 games last season with Buffalo. He subsequently signed an eight-year, $84 million extension with the Capitals.
Tuch gives Washington size, scoring ability and another established top-six option. At 6-foot-4, he can create problems around the net while also possessing enough skill to generate offense off the rush.
The preseason is especially important for a player entering a new organization because there is more involved than simply getting into game shape. Tuch needs to become comfortable with Washington’s systems, linemates, breakout patterns and special-teams responsibilities.
Those details could be more important Friday than whether he appears on the scoresheet.
Washington’s young defensemen remain worth watching
Cole Hutson is another player who has made Washington’s training camp particularly interesting.
The 20-year-old joined the Capitals late last season after completing his collegiate career at Boston University and immediately demonstrated his offensive upside. Hutson recorded three goals and seven assists for 10 points during his first 14 NHL games.
His skating and puck-moving ability give Washington another potential offensive defenseman. That becomes even more interesting considering how productive the Capitals’ defense already was last season.
Washington defensemen produced 212 points on 55 goals and 157 assists last season. The 212 points tied for third in the NHL, while the 55 goals tied for second.
Hutson does not need to become the centerpiece of the defense immediately. With Chychrun and Washington’s established veterans around him, the Capitals can allow him to develop without forcing him into responsibilities he is not ready to handle.
But his offensive potential gives Washington another dimension.
Bruins playing on consecutive nights
Washington should have a significant situational advantage Friday.
Boston played Philadelphia on Thursday night and lost 2-0, meaning the Bruins will be playing their second game in as many nights. Philadelphia prevented Boston from scoring despite the Bruins showing a stronger push during the second period.
This is also Boston’s preseason finale.
That makes the game particularly important for Bruins players still trying to secure roster positions. A preseason finale can have considerably more intensity than an ordinary exhibition because it may represent the final evaluation for players on the roster bubble.
Boston opened its preseason by defeating Washington 3-2 in a shootout before continuing its exhibition schedule against Philadelphia.
Boston has several interesting young players
One of Boston’s most intriguing camp players has been James Hagens.
The 19-year-old entered the preseason as part of a young line with Fraser Minten and Marat Khusnutdinov. Bruins coach Marco Sturm has emphasized allowing the group to use its speed and skill rather than overthinking the exhibition games.
Boston also has several players competing for roles throughout the lineup, including Matt Poitras, Lukas Reichel and Frederic Brunet.
Brunet is coming off a strong AHL season in which he produced 36 points on 12 goals and 24 assists for Providence. Earlier in camp, Boston paired him with Charlie McAvoy as part of his development.
Those players give Washington a useful test. The Capitals may have more NHL regulars in their lineup, but Boston’s younger players have considerable motivation with final roster decisions approaching.
Goaltending remains worth monitoring
Washington also has decisions and evaluations to make in goal.
Logan Thompson is coming off a season in which he posted a .912 save percentage and 2.44 goals-against average over 58 appearances for Washington.
At this stage of camp, goaltending performances should be viewed differently from regular-season games. Teams are experimenting with defensive combinations, prospects are learning systems and coaches are evaluating players rather than strictly managing games for wins.
Still, Washington wants its goaltenders tracking the puck well and becoming comfortable behind the defensive structure that will play in front of them once the regular season begins.
Special teams could be Washington’s biggest focus
One area worth watching closely Friday is Washington’s power play.
Preseason results are secondary, but special-teams repetitions are extremely valuable because they give coaches an opportunity to experiment with personnel and positioning without sacrificing regular-season points.
Ovechkin’s absence changes Washington’s power-play structure considerably. It gives Carbery an opportunity to experiment with different shooting options and potentially give younger players more responsibility.
Chychrun could be especially important. He led Washington with eight power-play goals last season, demonstrating that the Capitals have another dangerous shooting option beyond their forwards.
Watch Washington’s entries as much as the eventual shots. Clean zone entries, puck recovery and quick movement are generally better indicators of a power play’s progress during the preseason than conversion percentage alone.
Five things to watch
Friday’s game should provide a clearer picture of where Washington stands with the regular season approaching:
- NHL regulars getting extended work: Washington is expected to use many of its established players, making this one of the best opportunities yet to evaluate the actual Capitals rather than a prospect-heavy exhibition roster.
- Tuch’s chemistry: Washington needs to determine where its major offseason addition fits best and which linemates complement his combination of size and skill.
- Hutson’s development: His offensive instincts are obvious. How he handles defensive-zone responsibilities against NHL-caliber forwards will be equally important.
- Washington’s blue-line offense: The Capitals received six assists from defensemen against Philadelphia after having one of the NHL’s most productive defensive groups last season.
- Boston’s fatigue versus desperation: The Bruins are on the second half of a back-to-back, but players fighting for jobs have every reason to empty the tank in their preseason finale.
MSB Take
The final score matters less than what Washington looks like while getting there.
The Capitals have reached the stage of training camp where the organization needs to start transitioning from evaluation to preparation. With many regulars expected in the lineup, Friday’s matchup against Boston should provide one of the best indications yet of how Washington’s systems and new personnel are coming together.
Tuch’s integration into the offense, Hutson’s continued development and Washington’s ability to generate offense from its defense are all significant storylines. Ovechkin’s absence removes the biggest name from the lineup, but it also creates additional opportunities for Washington to experiment before the results begin counting.
Boston should provide a legitimate challenge despite playing on consecutive nights. Players competing for the Bruins’ final roster positions are running out of opportunities to make their case, which should give the game more intensity than the typical early preseason exhibition.
For Washington, that is exactly what it needs.
The Capitals do not need a perfect performance Friday. They need their NHL lineup to start looking like an NHL lineup — cleaner breakouts, stronger puck possession, improved special teams and growing chemistry among players who will be together when the regular season begins.
That makes Capitals-Bruins much more than another September exhibition. It is one of Washington’s final rehearsals before the real season arrives.
