Photo: @Capitals
The Washington Capitals were back to work on Sunday for day 6 of their 2020 summer training camp. The Capitals have one more week of practices at MedStar Capitals Iceplex before departing for the ‘bubble’ in Toronto next Sunday. The team will play their lone exhibition game on Wednesday, July 29 against the Carolina Hurricanes before officially beginning their quest for a second Stanley Cup against the Tampa Bay Lightning on August 3rd.
Practice
T.J. Oshie returned to practice on Sunday after missing practice on Saturday. Ilya Samsonov and Alex Alexeyev missed a sixth straight practice and have yet to appear at MedStar Capitals Iceplex.
The Capitals merged key players from the two separate practice sessions used this week into a single practice group on Sunday and assembled the prospects into a smaller practice group.
Capitals lines today in the big group practice (all vets plus Fehervary + Vanecek):
Ovechkin-Kuznetsov-Wilson
Vrana-Backstrom-Oshie
Hagelin-Eller-Kovalchuk
Panik-Dowd-Hathaway
BoydKempny-Carlson
Dillon-Orlov
Siegenthaler-Jensen
Fehervary-GudasHoltby
Vanecek— Samantha Pell (@SamanthaJPell) July 19, 2020
When Boyd mixed in, he replaced Lars Eller as the 3C, indicating Reirden’s plan for when Eller leaves the ‘bubble’ for the birth of his child.
Second practice session
Capitals’ second practice group of the day: Connor McMichael, Garrett Pilon, Philippe Maillet, Brian Pinho, Beck Malenstyn, Shane Gersich, Daniel Sprong, Tyler Lewington and Pheonix Copley.
The group worked on skills.
Scenes from Saturday’s scrimmage
A Saturday afternoon hockey game in the DMV#ALLCAPS | @mmschocolate pic.twitter.com/xlBHNM4fJm
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) July 19, 2020
Jakub Vrana
He said that “I honestly feel really good,” and is getting more comfortable every practice. Vrana added that he is “good to go” for the Capitals’ round-robin tournament opener against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday, August 3 in Toronto. (More here.)
Garnet Hathaway
“The equipment is traveling,” Hathway said in reference to continuing the Between Two Blue Lines podcast, which he and Dowd host. He did not go into much detail as episodes have not been scheduled yet, but wants to give fans the “inside scoop” on life inside the bubble and what’s going in. (More here.)
Todd Reirden
“I would say at this point it’s Travis’ [spot],” the Capitals bench boss said in reference to Boyd playing on the third line in place of Eller at times. Eller plans to leave the team in early August for the birth of his second child. Boyd will continue playing on the third line as camp moves forward to prepare when Eller leaves. “He’s a guy who can play on both positions,” Reirden said about Boyd, who played right-wing on a line composed of Jakub Vrana and Nicklas Backstrom during Saturday’s practice. (More here)
The Comeback Kids
The Capitals continue to be among the league leaders in comeback wins. This season, the Capitals won 21 games after trailing by at least one goal, tied with the St. Louis Blues for the most instances in the NHL. Washington also held a 17-16-3 record when they allowed the first goal, the second-highest win percentage in the NHL (.472). Additionally, the Capitals’ 11-12-3 record when trailing after the first period marked the second-highest win percentage in the NHL (.423), while their 9-17-2 record when trailing after the second period marked the highest win percentage in the NHL (.321). (More here.)
By Jon Sorensen
To do well in the POs then MK needs to be at his best. I hope after the POs, RP is let go and let TB replace him. WOuld love to keep Kovy, Dillon and maybe even BH
If you are making 2 to 2.5 mill on the bottom six for any team, your job may be in jeopardy simply because of the salary cap remaining flat for the next couple of years.
Yep, and Orlov could be playing his last year as a Cap as well. He hasn’t set the world on fire for the money he’s paid and that money would be useful elsewhere (Dillon?).