Caps/Sharks pregame

Too many days between hockey games. How did you survive? There were hockey things going on in between, but since they weren't Caps hockey, they barely existed.

In a lot of ways it was good, since it gave a few people a chance to heal up, but the Caps haven't been great after too much time off, so here's hoping rust isn't a factor on Saturday. This game is the exact halfway point for the league's whole season, so now is better than any time for the Caps to start to get nasty. 

1993

There's the big number hanging over the team's head--the last time the Caps won in this venue, it was 1993. Please note, as pictured above, that the 90s were a terrible time, but despite that, the 90s Caps were able to win over the Sharks 4-2, and then--never again since. Yep. 

Any arena that projects sharks swimming on the ice during player introductions and has their team skate out of a giant shark's mouth is probably going to be a little tough to play in. May I remind you once again that sharks are not a danger to anything that lives on land, however, such as a capital city, so suck it, Sharks.

OPPORTUNITY FOR OPPORTUNISM

San Jose's penalty kill is sitting at 28th out of 30 in the league right now--Caps PP is at 11th, so there's a good opportunity here to keep it hot. I wouldn't say no to another Ovechkin PP snipe--he's got a streak of his own to keep rolling, looking to turn a seven-game point streak into eight. 

If you're wondering why the Sharks' penalty kill is struggling, though, this video might help clear it up: 

WOUNDED WARRIOR AWARD

Apparently both Backstrom and Semin will be in the lineup tomorrow night--everyone around Backstrom is reporting that he doesn't appear to be concussed, so you can stop sacrificing goats to the hockey gods now, your prayers have been answered. Well done. 

Who wasn't sacrificing enough goats? I want to know whose fault this is.

Backstrom's out for tonight.

Dammit.

For a player who's always been incredibly durable for the Caps, this news is a little scary. The last thing we want to see is Backstrom start down that alarming, muddy path of head injuries that so many NHLers are on these days, but we have faith in the strength of his cranium and we hope that things will work out all right.

Better safe than sorry. You just don't take risks with a player of his sheer excellence, but I feel confident that we will see him again soon. Get well, 19.

Nineteen years is a long fucking time, but the longer a streak goes on, the more likely it is to be broken. Nobody's going to talk about 1993 anymore if the Caps win tomorrow, so that's the goal. Five games in a row. Eight game point streak for number 8.

Let it be written.

Let's go Caps.