Daniel Carr Replaces Daniel Sprong In Lineup, Ilya Samsonov Will Start In Goal Tonight, Richard Panik Clears Waivers: Notes From Morning Skate

Posted on April 8, 2021 by Jon Sorensen

The Capitals returned to MedStar Capitals Iceplex for gameday morning skate on Thursday. They will host the Boston Bruins tonight at Capital One Arena before hitting  the road again for games in Buffalo and Boston this weekend. Puck drop for tonight’s tilt with the Bruins is set for just after 7:00 pm.

MORNING SKATE

Michael Kempny returned to the ice this morning. He had surgery on a torn Achilles in early October.

The 30-year-old recorded three goals, 18 points, and a team-leading +19 rating in 58 regular-season games during the 2019-20 season after missing the first eight while recovering from core muscle surgery that occurred on April 2, 2019.

Ilya Samsonov will start in goal tonight.

Daniel Carr will replace Daniel Sprong in the lineup tonight.

Laviolette said placing Panik on waivers gives the team some salary cap/roster flexibility to call up another player (Carr). He said he felt like Carr has a good skill level, they liked what he did earlier in the year for them, but has just been stuck on the taxi squad with the tight cap space.

Carr had an excellent season with Lugano in Swiss league (led team in scoring) before being recalled by the Capitals. He was signed by the Capitals shortly after Laviolette got the job with Washington. Carr used to play for Laviolette in Nashville.

NOTES

Forward Richard Panik cleared waivers at noon today. The Capitals now receive some salary cap relief. They can place Panik on the taxi squad, trade or re-assign.

MEDIA AVAILABILITY

Dmitry Orlov

BOSTON

  • The Capitals have had nine different goal scorers against Boston this season with Nicklas Backstrom leading the team with four points (1g, 3a).
  • The Capitals enter today’s game with a record of 25-10-4 and 54 standings points, which is tied with the New York Islanders for lead in the MassMutual East Division and is tied for the fifth-most points in the NHL.

PENALTY KILL

  • The Capitals haven’t allowed a power play goal in their last five games, stopping all 12 power-play opportunities. The Capitals 82.9 power play percentage this season ranks seventh in the NHL. That marks the highest point percentage the Capitals have had in a season since 2016-17 (83.8 penalty kill percentage).
  • With an 82.6 penalty kill percentage in 2019-20, the Capitals are currently on pace to record a penalty kill percentage of at least 82 percent in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2015-16 to 2016-17.
  • Washington’s 79.82 shot attempts against per 60 minutes of penalty kill time is tied for third in the NHL. In addition, Capitals have killed 11 of the 12 power play opportunities against the Bruins (91.7%) this season, the second-highest penalty kill percentage against Boston in the NHL (Rangers: 94.1%).

ZDENO CHARA

  • Defenseman Zdeno Chara leads all Capitals defensemen with 100:27 penalty kill time. Chara’s 80.46 shot attempts against per 60 minutes of PK time per game is the third-lowest rate among defensemen with 90 minutes of PK time, while his expected 6.11 goals against per 60 minutes of PK time per game ranks 12th.
  • Chara enters today’s game with nine points (2g, 7a) in 39 games. He ranks second on the Capitals in plus/minus (11), fourth in time on ice (722:06) and second in blocked shots (48).

By Jon Sorensen

 

About Jon Sorensen

Jon has been a Caps fan since day one, attending his first game at the Capital Centre in 1974. His passion for the Caps has grown over the decades, which has included time as a season ticket holder, social media and community organizer, and most recently led to the founding of NoVa Caps in 2014. Jon earned a Bachelor's of Science in Civil Engineering at Old Dominion University, and is a Systems Engineer during intermissions, which has been instrumental in supporting his Capitals habit.
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