The Washington Capitals are expected to be a busy team this offseason as general manager Brian MacLellan retools his roster after an underwhelming season.

Now comes a report from Russian outlet Sport-Express that one potential move the Caps could make is the signing of KHL forward Pavel Poryadin.

The 26-year-old winger was Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk’s leading scorer this past season.

In 67 games this season, Poryadin recorded 37 points (22g, 15a). He added an additional four points (2g, 2a) in five playoff games. He was also named a KHL All-Star.

The diminutive Poryadin stands at just five-foot, eight-inches tall (the same height as Conor Sheary), and has been a part of the Neftekhimik organization since the 2015-16 season. He is one of the team’s current alternate captains.

Poryadin, whose ontract with Neftekhimik expires on April 30, was asked to comment on the Capitals’ interest by TI-Sport on Monday.

“Interest from Washington? Someone is always interested,” Poryadin said and translated via Google Translate. “Now one NHL club, then another, not to mention the KHL clubs. My contract with Neftekhimik expires on April 30, and no one from Washington came to me. These are facts.”

The Capitals have rarely dipped into the KHL player pool to add to their own roster. The last time they did so was the signing of Sergei Shumakov in 2018. Shumakov played just 10 games with the Hershey Bears in the AHL before returning to the KHL.

Screenshot: @poryadin24/IG

Russian outlet Match TV released a report on Saturday saying that Capitals forward Evgeny Kuznetsov has requested a trade away from the Washington Capitals through his agent. The report included further mention that Kuznetsov has been asking for the move for two years.

The news was buoyed by hockey insider Elliotte Friedman’s take on Sportsnet’s 32 Thoughts podcast that the Caps and Kuznetsov “have been headed towards potentially a divorce” for the past couple of years.

Kuznetsov had his first chance to respond to the rumors after Capitals practice on Monday.

“There’s nothing really to put the comments (on), to be honest with you,” Kuznetsov told NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti.

“You know how it is. It’s just people trying to put some whatever they want to get the likes on Instagram or tweet or whatever,” he added. “I spoke to those people, and I said, ‘Where is this coming from?’ So…at this point, there is nothing to even talk about.”

Presumably, Kuznetsov means he reached out to Match TV. RMNB has not heard from him.

Kuznetsov has been with the Capitals since the team drafted him 26th overall in the 2010 NHL Draft. After almost thirteen years in DC, he says he doesn’t have any intention of leaving just yet.

“Both kids grow up here, born here and I’m happy here and I like the guys,” Kuznetsov said. “I like everything. But you never know. It’s not always on me.”

There has been reported friction in the past between Kuznetsov and Caps decision-makers which primarily appeared throughout the 2021 offseason.

This season the Russian centerman has seen his role on the Capitals decrease — he was bumped off the first line and first unit power play in favor of free agent acquisition Dylan Strome. After being nearly a point-per-game player (78 points in 79 games) in 2021-22, Kuznetsov has only 53 points in 73 games this season.

Kuznetsov has two more seasons left on his deal that carries a $7.8 million cap hit. His contract also holds a modified no-trade clause, allowing him to submit a 10-team no-trade list.

Headline photo: Alan Dobbins/RMNB

The Washington Capitals have quite the decision to make when the 2022-23 campaign wraps up. The Caps, who hold a 0.6 percent chance of making this year’s playoffs according to MoneyPuck, do not currently have a head coach under contract for next season.

After two first-round exits and missing the postseason entirely in 2023, Peter Laviolette’s three-year deal that he signed in 2020 is expiring. The Caps could extend his deal at some point this offseason but they also cannot hide from the team results during his tenure.

On Monday morning, ESPN’s Emily Kaplan released a list of up-and-coming NHL coach and general manager candidates. This list was curated with the help of a 24-person poll. Those people work in and around the NHL which included agents, front-office executives, and league officials.

One of the potential future head coaches was listed with specific mention of the Caps’ possible upcoming vacancy, former Hershey Bears bench boss Spencer Carbery.

Kaplan writes about Carbery:

The 41-year-old is one of the buzziest names on the coaching circuit — and that’s even before he landed in Toronto, center of the hockey media universe. A few respondents said to monitor Carbery as an option for the Capitals should they make a change. Carbery is thought highly of in the Caps organization after three years leading its top minor league affiliate, the Hershey Bears. He has been a quick riser after winning ECHL Coach of the Year (2014) and AHL Coach of the Year (2021). Washington wanted to keep him on, but Carbery took an assistant job with the Maple Leafs in 2021. Since Carbery took over running the power play, Toronto has the league’s second-best man-up unit (behind Edmonton).

Carbery was in charge of the Caps’ AHL affiliate in Hershey for three seasons. He amassed a 104-50-17 record with the Bears and had signed a multi-year extension with the team shortly before departing to take a role on Sheldon Keefe’s bench in Toronto.

“We are pleased to sign Spencer to a new contract,” Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan said at the time. “Spencer is a talented, young head coach and his track record of winning at the professional level, while also developing players, makes him the ideal coach for our top prospects.”

The now 41-year-old Carbery was the second-youngest coach in the AHL at the time of his hire. His first foray into the coaching world came immediately after his playing career ended. The South Carolina Stingrays hired him as an assistant coach for the 2010-11 season after playing for the ECHL team for two seasons. The very next year, he was promoted to head coach. He then went on to take the Stingrays to the playoffs all five years he coached them, posting a 207-115-38 record.

Carbery reportedly interviewed to be the San Jose Sharks head coach in 2022 before former New York Rangers coach David Quinn eventually received that job.

Headline photo: JustSports Photography

Over the weekend, Russian outlet Match TV reported that Evgeny Kuznetsov had asked to be traded out of DC for the last two seasons.

Monday, hockey insider Elliotte Friedman discussed the news with Jeff Marek on Sportsnet’s 32 Thoughts podcast.

Friedman essentially called the report the final piece of a puzzle which would explain why, per Elliotte, insiders “kinda heard Kuznetsov’s name out there” in trade talks.

Per the 32 Thoughts podcast:

The interesting thing for me in Washington is Kuznetsov. It’s obvious now the Capitals are reshaping their team.

And I’ll give credit to the blog Russian Machine Never Breaks because they found the article out of Russia that says that Kuznetsov had asked for a trade a couple years ago.

And suddenly a lot of things start to make more sense. For the last couple years we kinda heard Kuznetsov’s name out there. We talked before about how the relationship between him and the team has been strained. I think they’ve been disappointed with him.

Ovechkin wad the Conn Smythe winner in 2018 but Kuznetsov was a major reason they won the Stanley Cup. He gave them an element that they always dreamed of when they drafted him — that they would have a killer 1-2 punch (Backstrom, Kuznetsov) and people would not be able to handle it. And that’s exactly what happened that playoff. He got a big contract right after that, He deserved every penny at the time.

And if he had continued to play the way that he played, none of this would be an issue, But he really hasn’t been the same player since. I think they have felt he has not had the same attitude.

Kuznetsov has always been a really honest free thinker. I enjoy talking to him. He’s very blunt.

But I think they feel he’s not the same committed player and he feels obviously he’s not been supported by the organization.

It’s like dating, Jeff. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle.

I think this brings to light what a lot of us have suspected. For a couple years now the Capitals and Kuznetsov have been headed towards potentially a divorce.

Like I said, if he was playing like he was playing in 2018, they’re not looking to trade him and also someone’s happy to take him. He’s just not been at that level, which makes it harder on the team and harder to make a deal in a tight cap world.

It says to me this is coming at some point. Can’t say exactly when, but it’s coming.

In his first game since the report was made public, Kuznetsov tallied a primary assist on a third-period Tom Wilson goal that helped spur a short-lived Capitals comeback against the Penguins.

Kuznetsov has 53 points (12g, 41a) in 73 games this season.

On Saturday we shared a report that Washington Capitals forward Evgeny Kuznetsov has requested a trade. His requests, it’s reported, actually date back several years but are only now more likely to be honored.

Kuznetsov, 30, has at times been one of the league’s best and most entertaining players. But he’s never been without flaws, and those flaws have never been more present than they are right now. I’d argue that there is no player in franchise history more enigmatic than Evgeny Kuznetsov.

In the wake of the news about Kuznetsov’s trade request, I think it would be useful to consider the player’s whole career to understand more precisely what he’s been, what he is now, and what he could be in the future. I have broken his whole career down into five distinct eras.

For the purposes of this discussion, I’m considering only on-the-ice matters. I invite you to discuss the rest in comments, but it’s not appropriate for what I’m doing today.

Warmup Era

2013 to 2015

Kuznetsov’s first partial season came at the sputtering end of the Adam Oates administration, so aside from some highlight plays, those first 17 games didn’t tell us much.

His first real season was also the team’s first under Barry Trotz. Kuznetsov climbed from third-line minutes into the top six, but the Capitals were still underwater when he was on the ice: 49.2 percent by attempts, 48.8 percent by expected goals. Elite goaltending from Braden Holtby was the reason why Kuznetsov managed a positive on-ice goal percentage. He generated 1.32 points per hour of five-on-five play, ranking him 235 out of 335 forwards with 600 minutes played. Kuznetsov would double that rate in the next season.

Star Era

2015 to 2018

Kuznetsov’s breakout season was 2015-16, recording 20 goals and 57 assists (a career high) in 82 games. Evolving Hockey’s goals above replacement metric (GAR) estimated Kuznetsov added 19.5 goals that season, third highest in the league, behind only Thornton and Kane. Kuznetsov firmly became  a top-six player, at times trading top-line duties with Nicklas Backstrom. That saw him playing with better linemates, whom he began providing elite-level playmaking abilities.

HockeyViz calls playmaking for teammates “setting”, and during this era no one did it better than Evgeny Kuznetsov.

This era extends to the end of 2018, but there were big changes for Kuznetsov in the Cup year. After spending ten hours with Justin Williams and Marcus Johansson in 2017, his main linemates in 2018 were Ovechkin and Vrana. Those are all fantastic players, but while Ovechkin and Vrana have great offense, they fall way short of Williams and Johansson at driving play. The linemate shift meant the Capitals controlled a smaller share of shot attempts (47.8 percent, down from 52.1.) when Kuznetsov was on the ice, but improved finishing talent meant the Caps remained dominant on the scoreboard, improving the on-ice goal percentage from 58.9 to 61.5.

The ability to drive goals beyond expectations, whether those expectations are set by shot attempts or expected goals, is the quintessence of Kuznetsov. Even as his underlying play falls off, he has remained able to make scoring chances more dangerous than average – mostly due to his excellent talent for high-value passes. In any era, Kuznetsov is strong at making passes-leading-to-shots on the rush, making passes across the slot that force goalies to move, and in general threatening the net from below the goal line. The decline we’ll see next is to some degree the result of Kuznetsov having less opportunity to do what he does best.

But before we talk about the decline, the end of Kuznetsov’s Star Era hinted at what was about to come. In the 2017-18, opponents generated 13.6 high danger chances per hour when Kuznetsov was on the ice, up from 10.1 the year before. In approximate terms, that’s the difference of going from a league-average team at shot suppression to a bottom-five team. Kuznetsov’s play without the puck is about to become a crisis.

Decline Era

2018 to 2021

Picking up where we left off, in 2018-19 opponents generated 16.5 high-danger chances per hour during Kuznetsov’s shift. No forward with at least 600 minutes that season saw opponents get as many dangerous chances.

(Caps goalies saved a solid 92.8 percent during Kuznetsov’s shift but still allowed five goals beyond expected, which suggests to me that opponents got extraordinarily high-danger chances.)

Once the league leader in the offense compartment of GAR, Kuznetsov was now third worst in even-strength defense, behind his main linemate Alex Ovechkin and poor, lonely Connor McDavid.

By the shortened 2019-20 season, the Capitals were getting caved in while Kuznetsov was on the ice: owning 45.1 percent of shot attempts, 45.0 percent of expected goals. But Kuznetsov somehow managed to hide that eroding underlying play from the scoreboard; the Caps outscored opponents 45 to 44 during his shifts. Kuznetsov scored 13 even-strength goals in the 63 games of the abbreviated 2019-20 season, giving him the highest five-on-five individual goal-scoring rate of his career.

As discussed above, for this story I will not be discussing Kuznetsov’s off-ice events.

False Spring Era

2021 to 2022

Kuznetsov put the smile back in his game with a compelling comeback, featuring the following:

• backchecking

The 2020-21 season found Kuznetsov with his first and only positive score in the even-strength defense component of GAR, a plus-0.2. He remained ineffective on the forecheck and saw his primary-assist rate drop, but with his improved defense he was a net-positive to the Caps, outscoring opponents 34 to 18 in 2020-21 and 56 to 46 in 2021-22.

In 2021-22 Kuznetsov fell just slightly behind his career-bests in goals and assists, managing to play 79 games when many other players missed time due to COVID absences. More importantly, Kuznetsov felt like an antidote to Washington’s gradually slowing and stifled offense. Specifically, Corey Sznajder’s All Three Zones project found Kuznetsov to be elite at making passes from the center lane, high-danger assists, deflection assists, and one-timer assists.

But the improvements didn’t happen only when Kuznetsov was on attack. He was better without the puck, especially in the neutral zone. Playing primarily with Ovechkin and Tom Wilson, Kuznetsov became the main player responsible for activating offense, which he did with tenacious puck retrieval and effective transition into the neutral zone.

So Kuznetsov played better in the defensive zone, but perhaps more importantly he played less often in the defensive zone. No NHL forward had a higher rate of offensive-zone starts than Kuznetsov did in 2020-21. He was a dramatically sheltered player, which in hindsight was a wise strategy by Peter Laviolette, especially considering the team’s strength in forward depth with Hathaway and Dowd.

For a while, it seemed that Kuznetsov’s renewed resolve and a personalized playing context would combine to give the player a new future.

Rump Era

2022 to 2023

Today.

Out of 316 forwards with at least 600 minutes played this season, just 16 see opponents generate a higher rate of high-danger chances, and ten of those guys play for Anaheim. Washington has been outscored 48 to 43 when Kuznetsov is on the ice. Kuznetsov didn’t have an even-strength goal before Thanksgiving and his goal-rate has dropped by almost half. His primary assist rate remains strong, but not strong enough to offset the 3.2 expected goals per hour that opponents generate against him – again 17th worse among 316 forwards.

Kuznetsov is in the offensive zone more often than he was in the decline era (48.9 percent according to shot attempts, up from 45.1 in 2019-20), but he’s less creative once in there. He takes fewer one-timer shots and grabs fewer rebounds. His forechecking efforts and puck retrievals are both way down, and that means Washington’s sessions on attack end sooner. Kuznetsov himself seems to be carrying the puck less often than at any time in his career.

Kuznetsov’s skill at setting up plays for his teammates remains strong, but his individual scoring has cratered – muting his ability to score beyond expectation. His combined GAR this season is minus-8.2, lower than any forward on a non-tanking team. In short, he’s not special anymore, and he is very bad.

On Epistemology

One thing I love about using numbers to discuss hockey is that it’s honest about what it doesn’t know. Kuznetsov’s value for a long time had been hard to express using publicly available data. His specialness was, from one perspective, enigmatic. And with Kuznetsov so went the team. In the team previews of The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn, Washington’s habit of exceeding model-based expectations has been a running bit for years:

2018-19:

The Capitals always play above expectations during the regular season, so it’s likely my model is underselling their ability. They very well could waltz right into the postseason without much effort, as they always do, but I’m still not sure the team is as strong as it’s currently made out to be.

2019-20:

Over the past four seasons, the Capitals have earned a middling 49.7 percent expected goals share, but a league-leading 56.4 percent goals share. That near seven percentage point difference is far and away the largest in the league, and it stems from the team’s efficiency at exploiting tactics that aren’t currently measured. It means models like this one (even though it uses goal-based data as well) can tend to underrate the team’s ability and that may just be the case again this season.

2020-21:

This model has been highly skeptical of the team for the past few years so it’s natural to believe it simply has a blind spot for the way Washington manufactures results. The Capitals have long been a dangerous team that can outscore expectations based on a style of play that public models struggle with[. . .]

One way to understand Washington’s team-level decline is the loss of that talent for outscoring expectations, and Kuznetsov represents that effect in miniature. Kuznetsov and the Caps became less special in those hard-to-measure ways, and now the models feel more justified in their pessimism.

Which means visualizations like the one below from HockeyViz stop being cute curiosities (“your numbers just don’t understand this player”) and start becoming sad realities. Below, HockeyViz shows Kuznetsov’s estimated impact on offense (top) and defense (bottom) in every season from 2016-17 to the present. Red blobs mean more events happen at that location on the ice, so it’s good when there are red blobs at top and blue blobs at bottom. That was rarely what you got with Kuznetsov, and for a long time that was okay.

Kuznetsov had magic tricks on offense that made his shots and his teammates shots more valuable than other teams’ shots from those same places. And that magic was more than enough to excuse Kuznetsov’s shortcomings without the puck. But then the magic disappeared, and the shortcomings got even shorter, and now we’re here, with a $7.8 million player who is among the league’s worst by some measurements.

This story would not be possible without All Three Zones, Evolving Hockey, Natural Stat Trick, and HockeyViz. Please consider joining us in supporting them.

Headline photo: Alan Dobbins

The Washington Capitals took to the ice on Monday for the first time since their tough 4-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday. The team had Sunday off and will not play another game until Wednesday when the New York Islanders come to town.

One player notably absent from the ice was Caps captain Alex Ovechkin. According to NBC Sports Washington’s Matt Weyrich, Ovechkin took another maintenance day.

Monday’s skate is the third day in the month of March that Ovechkin has missed for maintenance. He previously took one on March 13 and then missed a game against the New York Rangers the following day. Five days later he missed another practice before the Caps were scheduled to fly to Minnesota.

Ovechkin played the most minutes (21:04) in Pittsburgh that he’s had in a game since not playing against the Rangers on March 14 due to a reported lower-body injury. He scored his 42nd goal of the season and his fifth goal in his last four games in the loss.

The NHL’s second all-time leading goal scorer was not the only Caps forward to be missing as Sonny Milano remains out with an upper-body injury. It was reported on Saturday that the team expects Milano to be out for at least a week.

Weyrich added that Craig Smith left practice early after just 10 minutes. Smith did not play in the third period against the Penguins.

The three absences left the Caps with just 10 healthy forwards at the skate. They are currently only carrying 22 out of the full 23 players allowed on an active roster. If needed they could make a recall from Hershey but it would likely take further maneuvering as they have just $77,950 in cap space.

Forward prospect Connor McMichael was a late scratch from the Bears’ game against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Sunday due to an illness. Hendrix Lapierre was also listed as a healthy scratch.

Headline photo: Alan Dobbins/RMNB

Capitals top prospect Connor McMichael was supposed to suit up for the Hershey Bears on Sunday against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

In fact, he was even in the Bears’ starting lineup as the team’s second-line center.

But curiously, he did not take the ice at Giant Center. Julian Napravnik did in his place.

Tonight's projected lineup – Dylan McIlrath has posted seven assists against the Phantoms this season and leads Hershey in plus/minus against Lehigh Valley at +9.

Catch today's broadcast!

@AntennaTV
https://t.co/HaxQBmLCRZ
@FroggyValley, @foxsports1460am, @WOYK1350 pic.twitter.com/oTPKemWrks

— X – Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) March 26, 2023

Unavailable for the Bears for today’s game: Henrik Borgstrom (upper body injury).

— X – Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) March 26, 2023

One possible scenario that could have been playing out was that McMichael was called up to Washington due to Sonny Milano’s upper-body injury. Milano was announced to be out for a week at the least, leaving Washington without a reserve forward.

But shortly after the game started, Hershey posted an update on Twitter and announced that McMichael wasn’t playing due to illness.

UPDATE: Connor McMichael is out (illness) for tonight’s game. Julian Napravnik is in the lineup for Hershey.

— X – Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) March 26, 2023

McMichael played the night before in Hershey’s 4-1 victory over the Syracuse Crunch in New York. The 22-year-old forward registered an assist, extending his season-long point streak to seven games. Hershey clinched a playoff berth with the win for the third straight season.

Headline photo: Cara Bahniuk/RMNB

The Washington Capitals met their bitter rivals in the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday night and just like most Caps vs Pens games, it was a good one. The Caps made a three-goal comeback in the game but were unable to leave Pittsburgh victorious.

Bummer.

• The overall effort from the Caps was pretty good. On a different night, Darcy Kuemper is the one standing on his head and not Casey DeSmith. The Caps finished the game up 31 to 21 in five-on-five scoring chances but down 4-3 on the scoreboard. That’s just how it goes in hockey sometimes.
• Alex Ovechkin scored his 42nd goal of the season and the 822nd of his career. It came on the power play so he is now just one more PPG from 300 total in his career.
• Dylan Strome stayed hot and now has 20 points (6g, 14a) in his last 14 games. His 18 goals rank third on the team behind Ovechkin (42) and TJ Oshie (19).

Strome has recorded five multi-point efforts in his last eight games. His 15 multi-point games this season are the second most on the Capitals (Alex Ovechkin: 20).

— CapitalsPR (@CapitalsPR) March 26, 2023

• The Caps spent 6:13 of the game on the penalty kill. I thought their discipline was terrible overall. Pittsburgh did score on one of their power plays.
• Natural Stat Trick has the Capitals using 11 different line combinations in the game. Talk about a blender.
• Of course, the best of the lot was one with Aliaksei Protas on it. His line with Nicklas Backstrom and Oshie held positive differentials at five-on-five in shot attempts (+3) and scoring chances (+4). They also broke even in high-danger chances.

Numbers thanks to Hockey-reference.com and NaturalStatTrick.com.

With less than three minutes remaining in regulation on Saturday night, the Washington Capitals had found the last piece of their three-unanswered goal comeback against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The game seemed destined for overtime and standings points would be shared among both teams.

Unfortunately, for the Caps, that comeback was shortlived as Anthony Mantha got caught trying to make a move in the neutral zone and turned the puck over directly to Penguins star Evgeni Malkin.

Malkin potted the ensuing chance with 1:20 left in the game and the Pens would escape 4-3 victors without any sort of extra hockey.

The play that sealed the Caps’ fate originated in their own zone as Mantha got ready to try and create a rush chance of his own.

Instead of trying to pass the puck to either of his open forward teammates, Mantha attempted to deke around the long reach of Malkin. Malkin easily stripped the puck away, caught the Capitals’ defenders trying to make a line change, and finished low blocker on goaltender Darcy Kuemper.

The 4-3 game-winner came just 1:24 after Dylan Strome had tied the game 3-3.

After the final horn, TJ Oshie refused to let Mantha share the majority of the blame for the loss. He instead put the failure on the team’s inability to play a complete game.

“Yeah, it’s a tough one,” Oshie started. “I don’t think that last play was the only thing that lost the game for us. I know Mo feels terrible about it but we trust him with the puck. There just wasn’t a good enough sixty minutes against a good hockey team. So, odds are stacked against us a little bit tonight. We weren’t able to find our game until it’s maybe a little too late.”

Caps head coach Peter Laviolette gave his own take on the performance and the way the game ended.

“I thought we did a great job just staying focused and getting back into that game,” Laviolette said postgame. “It’s frustrating to tie it up and then have it go the other way.”

Mantha has been one of Laviolette’s chosen healthy scratches among the team’s forwards multiple times this season.

“I don’t think it’s necessarily the points and goals that (Laviolette is) mad about,” Mantha said in January. “It’s more the rest of (my) game.

“Just my work ethic,” he continued. “Right now that’s what I need to do if I want to get back in the lineup, and I’ll have to show them.”

Mantha recently snapped a 19-game goalless streak with a late goal against the New York Islanders. He has one more goal in five games since then.

The big forward has 27 points (11g, 16a) in 64 games this season.

Headline photo: Alan Dobbins/RMNB

The Washington Capitals suffered a devastating, nationally-televised loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday after an a thrilling comeback in the third period. Of course, Alex Ovechkin was a part of the scoring.

Ovechkin scored one of the Capitals’ three consecutive goals in the third period before an Anthony Mantha giveaway to Evgeni Malkin ended it.

Ovi’s goal, his 42nd of the season, came on a Capitals’ power play, bringing Washington within one with 6:42 remaining.

Ovi scored four seconds into a power play after Ryan Poehling was sent to the box for tripping. TJ Oshie won the faceoff, Dylan Strome gathered the loose puck and quickly sent it over to John Carlson, who threw the biscuit right into Ovechkin’s wheelhouse.

Ovi took care of the rest with an impossible-to-stop one-timer.

Our view of number 822! @Capitals @rmnb pic.twitter.com/JUaNIPp29z

— Jonathan DePoy (@Quiet_Jon) March 26, 2023

The goal marked Ovechkin’s fourth scored on Penguins goaltender Casey DeSmith.

Ovechkin is now within 72 of Wayne Gretzky for first on the NHL’s all-time goals list.

The goal was the 299th career power play marker of Ovechkin’s career – the most of all time. Ovechkin, the NHL’s all-time leader in road goals, now has 418 tallies in away games.

Per Capitals PR, Ovechkin has saved much of his brilliance for the third period.

Ovechkin has scored 50 percent of his goals this season (21 of 42) in the third period.

— CapitalsPR (@CapitalsPR) March 26, 2023

Ovechkin has recorded 24 of his 72 points (42g, 30a) this season in the final 10 minutes of regulation and overtime.

— CapitalsPR (@CapitalsPR) March 26, 2023

The Washington Capitals plan to sign goaltender Mitchell Gibson to an NHL contract, according to a report from The Athletic’s Tarik El-Bashir.

The Harvard University goaltender was previously selected by the Capitals in the fourth round, 124th overall, in the 2018 NHL draft.

The #Caps intend to sign 2018 fourth round pick Mitchell Gibson, I’m told. The Harvard goalie’s season ended yesterday.

— Tarik El-Bashir (@Tarik_ElBashir) March 25, 2023

Gibson’s season finished Friday night when Harvard lost 8-1 in the NCAA Tournament regional semifinals. In a disappointing finish to an otherwise impressive season, the game marked the first time all season Gibson was pulled from his net.

Gibson ranked third this season among all goaltenders in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) in both save percentage (.919) and goals-against average (2.25). In 27 games played, he posted a record of 18-7-2. He was also named a semifinalist for the 2023 Mike Richter Award, given to the top goaltender in Division I men’s hockey.

Mitchell Gibson (#ALLCAPS) robs Michael Gildon on the doorstep to keep @HarvardMHockey within one of Ohio State.#NCAATournament pic.twitter.com/MqCHV44SgZ

— EP Rinkside (@EPRinkside) March 24, 2023

As a junior, Gibson made ECAC’s All-League Second Team, having previously made the ECAC’s All-Rookie Team as a freshman. He served as Harvard’s starting goaltender throughout his college career, even posting a 7-0 shutout win against rival Yale at Madison Square Garden as a rookie.

Without additional roster moves, Gibson is unlikely to crack the Caps’ NHL lineup anytime soon. Darcy Kuemper is signed through 2027 and backup Charlie Lindgren is signed through 2025. Though the Hershey Bears’ tandem of Zach Fucale and Hunter Shepard are both on expiring deals, both Clay Stevenson and Garin Bjorklund of the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays are signed to NHL deals.

Since he was drafted, Gibson attended Capitals’ Development Camps in 2018, 2019, and 2022 (there was no camp in either 2020 or 2021). At the 2019 camp, Gibson showed off his awesome aviator-themed mask on the Capitals’ Instagram.

Gibson’s college career, like that of many players his age, was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Though he is a senior at Harvard, he has played only three seasons of NCAA hockey, missing a year of play after the Ivy League canceled the 2020-21 season. He thus retains one additional year of NCAA eligibility.

Assuming Gibson does not return to Harvard, the Capitals will retain his rights through August 15th, per the NHL CBA. Should he choose not to sign with the Caps before then, he will become an unrestricted free agent.

Headline photo: Elizabeth Kong

The Washington Capitals made the trip up to Pittsburgh on Saturday night to take on everyone’s favorite Penguins. And by everyone’s favorite we of course mean the opposite. Those guys will forever suck.

Ryan Poehling opened the scoring for the Pens on a semi-breakaway. Chad Ruhwedel doubled that lead. Jake Guentzel made it three. Tom Wilson got the Caps on the board in the third. An Alex Ovechkin one-timer and a Dylan Strome dirty goal tied the game. Anthony Mantha basically gifted Evgeni Malkin the winner.

Penguins beat Caps 4-3.

• Before the game started a pretty huge Russian report dropped which laid out that Evgeny Kuznetsov has apparently requested a trade and first did so two years ago. You should read our post on it.
• I felt like the Pens had the clear, far better scoring chances in the first period. The Caps were having a really tough time moving the puck out of their zone and then when they did it was a lot of one-and-done stuff in the offensive zone. Casey DeSmith was far too comfortable in his net.
• Pittsburgh defends Alex Ovechkin with the Caps set up on a power play different than I think every other team in the NHL. They don’t fully commit to the man-marking we’ve seen other teams do as they sorta set up in more of a diamond shape which messes with the usual passing lanes without taking a penalty killer fully out of the play. I’m not 100 percent sure about its effectiveness but it’s an interesting thing to watch Ovi try and solve.
• I don’t like seeing Sonny Milano out of the lineup but it’s nice to see Aliaksei Protas given a shot in the top six. Hopefully, we see a little more of it while Milano is on the shelf. I think he has untapped offensive potential that will never be met if he spends his entire career grinding it out on fourth lines.

https://t.co/4HTrQdHkAX pic.twitter.com/ZfyABtRn1l

— salute emoji addict (@OVECHKlN) March 24, 2023

• Goodness me was DeSmith playing out of his mind in this game at certain stages or what? The Pens were nowhere near the Caps for the vast majority of the second period but they apparently summoned the second coming of 2010 Jaroslav Halak.
• Rasmus Sandin was on the ice for two more goals. I’m not sure he was directly responsible for either but still. He also got into a fight and it didn’t go well. I don’t love Josh Archibald taking advantage of the situation there like that. You know he isn’t answering the bell if he gets asked by Tom Wilson to do the same.
• Alex Ovechkin grabbed his 42nd goal of the season and the 822nd of his career. As you all know by now, that’s a win right there. The Pens honored him in the arena for passing Gordie Howe on the all-time goals list.
• The comeback was legitimately fun but unfortunately, this one did not end great because Anthony Mantha forgot how to hockey. At least the Hershey Bears won and clinched a spot in the AHL playoffs.

The Caps will be off on Sunday and then won’t play again until Wednesday at home against the New York Islanders. The final stretch is here.

Headline photo courtesy of @mood_jude/Twitter

The Pittsburgh Penguins took a moment to salute Alex Ovechkin for a milestone he accomplished earlier in the season.

The Penguins put up a graphic congratulating Ovi on passing Gordie Howe on the all-time goals list on the jumbotron of PPG Paints Arena.

Ovechkin was loudly applauded by Penguins fans attending.

Impressive for Pittsburgh to congratulate Alex Ovechkin on 802. Classy. Thank you. Alex gives a thumbs up in reply! @rmnb pic.twitter.com/uuCs4v8h4h

— Washington DC Sports News (@DCSportsNews365) March 26, 2023

After the Penguins’ PA announcer read a short statement of congratulations, a camera found Ovechkin on the bench who both waved, gave a thumbs up, and threw a peace sign. He then flashed a wry smile at the bench to a teammate.

The game between the Capitals and Penguins marked the teams’ first game in Pittsburgh since Alex Ovechkin scored his 802nd career goal on December 23, 2022.

The Penguins also sent a congratulatory video from Sidney Crosby for Ovechkin’s Gr802 Night at Capital One Arena earlier in the week.

“Hey Ovi, just want to congratulate you on becoming the second-leading goal scorer of all time,” Crosby said. “It’s incredible the way you continue to score goals and I know you have lots left in the tank. Keep it going.”

All class between two legends#Gr802 | @penguins pic.twitter.com/e9fiuAd8hE

— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) March 21, 2023

Crosby was loudly booed in-arena.

Screenshot: @DCSportsNews365/Twitter

The Hershey Bears, unlike their parent NHL team, are most definitely headed to the postseason.

Hershey defeated the Syracuse Crunch 4-1 at Upstate Medical University Arena to clinch their third straight appearance in the AHL’s Calder Cup playoffs.

The Bears will be looking to win their 12th championship in their 70th postseason appearance.

POSTSEASON-BOUND!

For the 70th time in franchise history, the Chocolate and White have clinched a berth in the Calder Cup Playoffs! pic.twitter.com/JNd7Lzown1

— Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) March 26, 2023

The Bears got gtallies from veterans Mike Sgarbossa, Shane Gersich, and Mike Vecchione as well as 25-year-old German winger Julian Napravnik – his fourth goal in 14 games this season.

Looks like the new curve's paying off for @shane_gersich9 – it's his sixth of the season!

Malenstyn pic.twitter.com/baeBwtC9KT

— Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) March 25, 2023

Hello, I'd like to report an absolute theft – Mike Sgarbossa's got his 20th of the season! pic.twitter.com/YakPhUj1PK

— Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) March 26, 2023

Hunter Shepard stopped 33 of 34 Crunch shots for the victory. He was the first star of the game.

This save by @Shepdadyy, just… pic.twitter.com/VVYGzcNljv

— Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) March 25, 2023

Connor McMichael extended his point streak to seven games after assisting on Napravnik’s third-period goal.

Stay hot, @jnapr97

Carlsson
McMichael pic.twitter.com/csbhjpc20s

— Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) March 26, 2023

The Bears currently sit second in the Atlantic Division with 84 standings points. They trail the Providence Bruins by two for the Division lead with 10 games to go.

You can put an next to our name – that's a BEARS WIN!!! pic.twitter.com/kh7gvN7mEb

— Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) March 26, 2023

Headline photo: Katie Fri/Hershey Bears

The Washington Capitals entered Pittsburgh with their backs against the wall. The club is in 11th place in the Eastern Conference and sits four points behind the Penguins for the second wild-card spot. A loss would virtually guarantee the Caps miss the postseason for the first time in nine years.

“It’s such a big game,” Peter Laviolette said after the team’s morning skate.

One player who have a smaller role in the big game is Evgeny Kuznetsov. The Russian center skated on the third line with Anthony Mantha and Craig Smith.

Saturday’s game marks the third straight game Kuznetsov has started in the bottom six. It comes on the heels of a Russian report that the player has requested a trade from the Capitals and has wanted out for the last two years.

Kuznetsov, who spent all of last season as the team’s first-line center, has received two fewer minutes of ice time on average this year (18:13 vs 20:16).

Kuznetsov’s been used all over the lineup by Laviolette this season due to Capitals’ injury woes and his lack of production. He started the season centering Alex Ovechkin on the first line but was quickly demoted to the second line in favor of Dylan Strome. Kuznetsov has also fluctuated between the first and second power-play units.

Saturday’s game against Pittsburgh marks the 10th game this season Kuznetsov has centered the third line or lower. He also served as the team’s checking-line center twice.

This is your place to check for updates and comment along with the Washington Capitals vs. Pittsburgh Penguins game on March 25, 2023.

The Washington Capitals have another “big” game as they try to avoid being officially eliminated from the playoffs. Tonight the Capitals take on rival Pittsburgh at PPG Paints Arena. A loss would virtually end Washington’s chase.

Pittsburgh currently sits in the second wild card spot with 80 standings points. The Capitals, who sit in 11th place in the Eastern Conference, trail the Penguins by four with 10 games remaining. The Capitals would also have to leapfrog Florida (79 standings points) and Buffalo (76 standings points) and continue to stay ahead of the Ottawa Senators (75 standings points).

Tonight’s game is on ABC and ESPN+. Puck drop is a little after 8 pm.

Links

• Evgeny Kuznetsov wants out of DC, has asked to be traded the last two years
• The Caps’ Russians broke bread with Evgeni Malkin
• Sonny Milano is out hurt
• Connor McMichael has points in six straight
• Ovi Gr802 Night shirt released
• Seattle Thunderbirds players throw support behind LGBTQ+ community, openly gay teammate after fans organize unofficial Pride Night
• What the Caps have in Rasmus Sandin after 10 games

Lines

Lineys!#CapsPens | @JackDaniels_US pic.twitter.com/xZdtZkeB1h

— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) March 25, 2023

Tunnel Shenanigans

Just the hits#ALLCAPS | @CaesarsSports pic.twitter.com/l5hVH1Eh22

— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) March 25, 2023

1st Period

Darcy Kuemper will oppose Casey DeSmith in net.

Comment below. Refresh this article throughout the night as we’ll be updating it live.

The Capitals-Penguins rivalry has gotten progressively tamer over the years as both teams have won Stanley Cups. Feelings of mutual respect have gradually replaced whatever enmity the teams previously held.

For instance, during the All-Star Weekend, a friendship between Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby was played up — Ovi even said they were “going to have a couple beers together” when they retire — and the two combined with Ovi’s son Sergei to win the Breakaway Challenge.

Now, ahead of Washington’s big Saturday night game against Pittsburgh, the Capitals’ Russian players (and one adopted Russian) broke bread with Penguins center Evgeni Malkin.

Capitals players Alex Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Alex Alexeyev, and Belorussian forward Aliaksei Protas (who can speak Russian) had dinner with Evgeni Malkin and his family, including son Nikita and wife Anna, on Friday night together. The photo was posted by Anna on her Telegram page.

The group can be seen posing in front of a greek salad, vegetables, and a Russian dish that appears to combine bread, cheese, and eggs.

Last season, nearly the same contingent of players caught up during the Penguins’ morning skate.

Over recent years, Malkin has formed a powerful friendship with Ovechkin attending the Capitals’ captain’s birthday party and congratuling him after scoring 700 career goals. Malkin called Ovechkin a “Russian machine” who “never stops.” (Close, Evgeni )

He’s also formed a ridiculous relationship with Evgeny Kuznetsov that’s included head-shaving bets, dressing up as mascots, and messing with each other’s pregame rituals.

The Capitals and Penguins play each other at 8 pm on Saturday night.

Evgeny Kuznetsov apparently wants out of DC.

According to Russian outlet Match TV, Kuznetsov has requested a trade away from the Washington Capitals through his agent. The request isn’t new, either, with Kuznetsov first asking for the move two years ago.

The article was published on Saturday.

Match TV writes in its article (as translated by Google Translate):

As it became known to Match TV, Washington forward Evgeny Kuznetsov wants to leave the club of his own free will.

On Friday, the North American media reported that Washington could trade Kuznetsov in the offseason. However, as it became known to Match TV, Kuznetsov himself has been asking the Capitals for an exchange for the second year through his agent. Previously, the capital club was not ready for this.

The news comes as The Athletic’s Tarik El-Bashir’s published a mailbag article, revealing that “Caps’ decision-makers are disappointed in Kuznetsov’s season” and that “trust is broken” between the two parties.

There has also been reported friction between the two sides in the past. According to TSN insider Pierre LeBrun, the Caps were exploring a trade of Kuznetsov during the 2021 offseason after he began to “irritate some members of the Caps’ organization.”

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman added that he believed the Caps were “running out of patience” with Kuznetsov after he and netminder Ilya Samsonov were late to a team meeting. Kuznetsov would soon after be placed in COVID protocol and miss the start of the postseason.

Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan did not deny the reports.

“I think we’re always open to trading people if it makes sense for what’s going on if it makes our team better,” MacLellan said. “I don’t think anybody’s off the table. We’re not going to trade Ovi or Backy, those types of people, but you have to be open on anything. So we would talk to anybody about any player.”

Kuznetsov has two more seasons on his deal and carries a $7.8 million cap hit. His deal also holds a modified no-trade clause, allowing him to submit a 10-team no-trade list.

The Russian centerman saw his role on the Capitals decrease this season — he was bumped off the first line and first unit power play in favor of Dylan Strome — and his production dropped precipitously, posting one of his worst seasons in Washington. After being nearly a point-per-game player (78 points in 79 games) in 2021-22, Kuznetsov has only 52 points in 72 games this season — though he is one of only three Caps players to have 50 or more points as the team is set to miss the playoffs for the first time in nine years.

Since winning the Stanley Cup in 2018 and leading the Capitals in playoff points, Kuznetsov has found trouble off the ice as he’s been suspended for drug use, contracted COVID *twice* following repeated protocol violations, and faced a team-levied suspension for disciplinary reasons.

This isn’t the first time a player has asked for a trade during Laviolette’s tenure in DC. Most notably, Jonas Siegenthaler requested a move out of DC during the 2020-21 season after the team prioritized usage of veteran Zdeno Chara over him during the 2020-21 season. Jakub Vrana has also been quite public about his displeasure with his role with the Capitals before being dealt.

Headline photo: Alan Dobbins/RMNB

The Washington Capitals will be without Sonny Milano for a good chunk of time to conclude the season.

Milano did not take the ice at practice for the Capitals’ morning skate in Pittsburgh on Saturday.

The team told traveling beat reporters, including The Athletic’s Tarik El-Bashir, that the third-line forward will be out for a week and possibly more due to an upper-body injury.

That diagnosis will see Milano miss the Caps’ game against Pittsburgh tonight and back-to-back games against the Islanders (3/29) and the Tampa Bay Lightning (3/30). The Capitals also have a Sunday, April 2 game against the New York Rangers (day eight of Milano’s recovery) before a three-day break in the schedule which sees Washington close the week against Montreal (4/6) and Florida (4/8).

The injury means Nicolas Aube-Kubel will get back into the Capitals lineup.

Milano did not miss any time during the Capitals’ 6-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday, but the winger did absorb a lot of physicality in the first period. A hit from Connor Murphy caused him to return to the bench slowly.

Screenshot: NHL.com

NHL.com’s play-by-play shows that Milano absorbed three bodychecks alone in the first stanza of the game including Mike Hardman (9:07), Lukas Reichel (15:03), and Connor Murphy (19:43).

Milano is a week removed from missing two straight games due to illness (NYR, 3/14; BUF, 3/15). He returned March 17 against the St. Louis Blues forcing Anthony Mantha out of the lineup.

After not being signed by an NHL team during the offseason, Milano earned a spot with the Capitals after impressing in Hershey. He’s become a regular in the lineup and has posted 32 points (11g, 21a) in 58 games.

Headline photo: Ian Oland/RMNB

Connor McMichael’s hot month of March continued in the Hershey Bears’ 4-3 shootout loss to the Rochester Americans on Friday.

The Capitals’ 2019 first-round pick extended his point streak to six games after scoring a goal in the second period.

McMichael now has points in eight of his last nine games. During that span, he’s scored three goals and authored five assists.

Six straight games with a point – it's definitely 𝑴𝒊𝒌𝒆𝒚 𝑴𝒂𝒓𝒄𝒉

Snively
Ness pic.twitter.com/5SqIz2R5cy

— Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) March 25, 2023

McMichael’s goal put the Chocolate and White up 3-0 one minute and 35 seconds into the period. Aaron Ness cycled the puck behind the Rochester net to Joe Snively, who emerged at the right post and dished it across the crease to McMichael.

McMichael scored on goaltender Malcolm Subban for his 15th goal of the season. The Capitals’ top prospect now has 33 points (15g, 18a) in 48 games this season with Hershey.

The Bears also saw standout performances from Ethen Frank, who registered an assist and a team-high six shots, and Snively (2 assists).

The Bears surrendered three unanswered goals after McMichael scored in the second stanza as the Americans got tallies from
Joseph Cecconi and Brett Murray (2).

In the shootout, McMichael and Snively were turned away by Subban while Mason Jobst and Aleksandr Kisakov both scored to give the Americans the win.

After gaining a standings point, the Bears need to only register three more to clinch a playoff berth.

Following tonight's result, our Magic Number is down to: pic.twitter.com/fm8BIFBSEA

— Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) March 25, 2023

Headline photo: Tori Hartman/Hershey Bears