The Washington Capitals will be heading to Yardmen Arena, home of the OHL's Belleville Bulls, in Belleville, Ontario to face off ex-Southeast Division rivals, the Winnipeg Jets, in the NHL's Kraft Hockeyville Preseason Game. With the new NHL realignment, the Jets now belong in the West Conference's Central Division.
This will be the first preseason game of the year for both the Capitals and Jets. It is also the first night of preseason hockey for this 2013-2014 season.
Washington overtook Winnipeg last season to earn the final Southeast Division title after a late push during their final regular season games. The Capitals took the final spot for the 2013 playoffs during their third-to-last regular reason game on April 23rd after a 5-3 win over the Jets at the Verizon Center.
Washington won four out of five regular season games season against Winnipeg. They have outscored the Jets by 20-6 in their past five encounters. Captain Alex Ovechkin recorded nine points with four goals and five assists in the five games between the two clubs, so he led all Capitals players in points against Winnipeg last season. Alternative Captain Nicklas Backstrom earned eight points in the five games with two goals and six assists.
Though training camp for the Washington Capitals started only a mere two days ago, the Caps are ready for their first game of the year. One of the hottest trios of the 2012-2013 season, Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, and Macrus Johansson, will be making their way up to Ontario this Saturday. Right wing Troy Brouwer who scored 19 goals, the second most for the team last season, will also be heading to Ontario to face off Winnipeg.
Top defensemen Karl Alzner and Mike Green will be making the trip to Belleville as well.
Goaltender Braden Holtby will be netminding in Belleville tonight. He is expected to start the contest, but is unclear on whether or not Mikhail Brubauer will be substituting Holtby due to Visa issues.
Along with the veterans, five Capitals players will be making their NHL preseason debut this weekend. Forwards Chandler Stephenson, Nathan Walker, and Tom Wilson, and defensemen Connor Carrick and Nate Schmidt are expected to play in the game after five days of rookie camp and two days of practice with and legitimate NHL players.
The 2013-14 season will mark Winnipeg's 14th season in the NHL and they're seeking to clinch their second Stanley cup playoff berth.
The Jets have added left wing Michael Frolik, right wing Devin Setoguchi, and winger Matt Halischuk over the summer. These three forwards and defenseman Ian White are sure to make an impact for tonight's game.
The Capitals will play in eight preseason games this year, including three home games at Verizon Center. Tonight's game will start at 7:00pm on NHLN and CBC.
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