Caps @ Senators 1-16-2007 Preview

Washington Capitals (19-26; 45 points; 4th Southeast Division, 13th Eastern Conference, 23rd Overall) @ Ottawa Senators (26-21; 54 points; 3rd Northeast Division, 5th Eastern Conference, 10th Overall):
Caps Game #45, Road Game #22, NHL Game #689

ScotiaBank Place, Kanata, Ontario, Canada. 7:35 pm. Washington TV: Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic. Radio: WTEM 980-AM. Ottawa TV: Roger's Sportsnet East. Ottawa Radio: TEAM 1200-AM. NHL Center Ice: Roger's Sportsnet East feed.

Tonight the Caps travel to Ottawa to face the Senators in the third game of this four game road trip. The Caps have lost two in a row and haven't won a road game since the last time they were in Canada when the faced the Maple Leafs on December 23rd. It won't be easy for the Caps as Ottawa has won four games in a row, most recently Saturday afternoon's 8-3 drubbing of the Montreal Canadiens.

What The Natives Are Saying:

(Com)Post. Caps.com. Caps.com .pdf game notes (should appear there at some point in time today)

Open Source Intelligence:

Ottawa Citizen: Spezza gets ribbed, Alfredsson gets new skates. Ottawa Sun: Spezza can help, more on the skates Alfredsson stole from his linemate. Senators.com.

Neutral Views:

NHL.com AP Wire.

What Do I Expect Tonight?:

After a rough start to the season, the Ottawa Senators are continuing to play like your typical Bryan Murray coached hockey team. What that means is that if it is January or February, the team is red hot and almost unbeatable. Well, that description certainly fits the Ottawa Senators to a tee. This isn't the Senators team that the Caps beat twice at the Phone Booth in November and December (typically Bryan Murray's worst months). The Caps will have their hands full tonight and my only hope is that the Caps can keep this game close because I do not expect them to win.

Caps Nut Official Washington Hockey.com Predict The Score Contest Entry:

Caps 2
Senators 5
Winner by Alfredsson