The Washington Capitals will square off with the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday night in Game 7 with a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals on the line. The winner will take on the Vegas Golden Knights, who have been awaiting their opponent since Sunday. As the Capitals held a morning skate at Amalie Arena in Tampa, we got a feel of what their lineup could look like based on line rushes.
Morning skate began with the traditional hot lap the team does on the road. It started with Jay Beagle but more recently it’s been Alex Ovechkin taking the hot lap. However with the Caps having lost the last time they were in Tampa, somebody else had to take the hot lap to kick off morning skate. It was coach Barry Trotz!
The biggest question entering the morning skate has been answered: #Caps Coach Barry Trotz took the hot lap, replacing Alex Ovechkin after a Game 5 loss here in Tampa. #ALLCAPSpic.twitter.com/UaEdwU5YI6
— Tarik El-Bashir⌨️🎙🏒 (@TarikNBCS) May 23, 2018
We were all waiting for the #Capitals to start morning skate with Ovechkin’s hot lap, as has been their road tradition. Suddenly, here comes Barry Trotz… pic.twitter.com/zDVFuDEZr0
— Adam Zielonka (@Adam_Zielonka) May 23, 2018
The Barry Trotz Hot Lap to start practice…man he’s got some wheels!#ALLCAPS@nbcwashingtonpic.twitter.com/3ufR54CHpj
— dckerNBC4 (@dckerNBC4) May 23, 2018
Usually it’s @ovi8 skating the hot lap to start the @Capitals morning skate.
Today, it was Barry Trotz. 😂 #StanleyCup
(Video courtesy Isabelle Khurshudyan/Washington Post) pic.twitter.com/ZVMmdX9Knw
— NHL (@NHL) May 23, 2018
There were no changes to the lines.
Capitals at the morning skate:
Ovechkin-Kuznetsov-Wilson
Vrana-Backstrom-Oshie
Burakovsky-Eller-Connolly
Stephenson-Beagle-DSPOrlov-Niskanen
Carlson-Kempny
Orpik-DjoosHoltby
Grubauer— Tom Gulitti (@TomGulittiNHL) May 23, 2018
Game 7 is set for 8:00 p.m. tonight. You can read our game preview right here.
Trotz spoke to the media about the hot lap.
Barry Trotz on why he took the lap to kick off the Capitals morning skate today (FYI: I timed him at an unofficial 18.78 seconds, McDavid did it in 13.454 to win the fastest skater competition here at All-Star): pic.twitter.com/HG6HzD2tzD
— Dan Rosen (@drosennhl) May 23, 2018
By Michael Marzzacco
Follow @marswaggo
Forty-three years of futility … All boiling down to tonight’s game
Go Caps
Same here (day one fan).
Pingback: Tonights Opportunity for the Capitals: “To Earn the Right to Keep Playing” – Barry Trotz | NoVa Caps
Pingback: Barry Trotz takes the Hot Lap to Kick Off Stanley Cup Finals Practice in Las Vegas | NoVa Caps
Pingback: The Tiger Does the Hot Lap Before Tuesday’s Capitals Practice | NoVa Caps
Pingback: Vegas Mocks Capitals with Their Version of the Hot Lap | NoVa Caps
Pingback: Lars Eller Kicks Off Wednesday’s Capitals Practice at T-Mobile Arena with the Hot Lap | NoVa Caps