Caps vs. Buffaslugs 12-14-2007 Preview

Washington Capitals (12-19; 26 points) vs. Buffaslugs (14-15; 29 points):
Caps Game # 32, Home Game #16, NHL Game #463

Verizon Center, Washington, D.C. 7:07 pm. Washington TV: Comcast Sportsnet Mid-Atlantic. Radio: WWWT 1500-AM, 107.7-FM. Loserville...er...Buffalo TV: MSG. Radio: WWBR 550-AM. NHL Center Ice: Comcast Sportsnet Mid-Atlantic feed.

Tonight the Caps close out a four game homestand with their third game against the Buffaslugs this season. The Caps have lost five games in a row to the Buffaslugs. The Buffaslugs continue to struggle however as they're only three points ahead of the Caps in the Eastern Conference standings. They defeated the New York Islanders at home on Wednesday night 5-3 in their last game but it was only their second win in their last five games.

What The Natives Are Saying:

(Com)Post. Times. Caps.com.

Neutral Views:

NHL.com AP Wire.

Open Source Intelligence:

The Loserville...er...Buffalo News.

What Do I Expect Tonight?:

In some ways, tonight's game will be the toughest test for the Caps since Bruce Boudreau publicly called out the team one week ago. The Caps have historically struggled against the Buffaslugs and are in the middle of a hectic stretch of 4 games in six nights. The Caps best chance to win will be to jump out to an early lead and hold on like they did at home a year ago. The problem is that the Buffaslugs remember that game too and have been on a mission to prove it was a fluke ever since and seem to play harder against the Caps. It would be a break for the Caps to face Jocelyn Thibault (5-11 with 3 actual ties against the Caps) in goal tonight instead of Ryan Miller (6-1 against the Caps) because the Buffaslugs are back in Loserville...er...Buffalo tomorrow night to host the Blackhawks. However, that alone may not be enough for the Caps to pull this one out tonight.

Caps Nut Official Prediction:

Caps 2
Buffaslugs 5
Winner by Stafford

(20-11 on the season)