Caps vs. Rangers 12-12-2007 Preview

Washington Capitals (11-19; 24 points) vs. New York Rangers (16-14; 34 points):
Caps Game #31, Home Game #15, NHL Game #447

Verizon Center, Washington, D.C. 7:07 pm. Washington TV: Comcast Sportsnet Mid-Atlantic. Radio: WWWT 1500-AM, 107.7-FM. New York TV: Fox Sportsnet New York. Radio: WABC 770-AM. NHL Center Ice: Comcast Sportsnet Mid-Atlantic feed.

Tonight the Caps will be greeted by so many mullets they could be forgiven for thinking the Penguin Scum were in town. But nope, it's 80's night and the Rangers are in D.C. for the first time this season. The Rangers handed the Caps their first loss of the season and beat them again three weeks later too in Madison Square Garden by a combined score of 5-1. The Rangers ended a three game losing streak when they beat the Devils 1-0 in overtime on Sunday night at home.

What The Natives Are Saying:

Com)Post. Times. Caps.com.

Neutral Views:

NHL.com AP Wire.

Open Source Intelligence:

New York Daily News. New York Post. Rangers.com.

What Do I Expect Tonight?:

If you thought Monday's game was tough to watch because it was your typical Mid-December sloppy and slow hockey game, tonight's game could be even worse if you're the "chicks love the long ball" type. The Rangers can't score but they do a pretty good job of keeping the other team from scoring too. The Rangers are just two games over .500 but have a goal differential of +2 (the Caps are -13). Only the Florida Panthers have given up fewer goals this season than the Rangers have so far and we know all to well about how the Caps have done against the Panthers lately. The Caps will need to cash in on the few chances they'll get and falling behind early again would not be a good idea as the Rangers are off until Sunday after tonight's game, so don't expect to see another backup goaltender.

Caps Nut Official Prediction:

Caps 2
Rangers 1
Winner by Kozlov

(19-11 on the season)