Pregame #9: Capitals @ Hurricanes

Written by Andy Green.

Washington Capitals (5-3-0) at Carolina Hurricanes (4-3-0)
Arena: RBC Center
Time: 7:00 PM ET
TV: Comcast SportsNet DC (Game On!), Fox SportsNet Carolinas (Away)
Radio: XM, 1500 & 820 AM (Home), 99.9 FM (Away)
Previous Games: (none)
Games Remaining:
Nov 24, 2010 WSH@CAR    7:00 PM ET
Nov 28, 2010 CAR@WSH    5:00 PM ET
Dec 26, 2010 WSH@CAR    7:00 PM ET
Mar 11, 2011 CAR@WSH    7:00 PM ET
Mar 26, 2011 CAR@WSH    7:00 PM ET

Game Promotion: Cheer Card and Window Cling Giveaway, Front Lawn Party, College Night, Family Night

Familiar Faces of Former Capitals: Joe Corvo (2010)

The Washington Capitals start a three-games-in-four-nights road trip in Carolina before flying to St. Paul, Minnesota, for a game on Thursday. They make their last stop in Calgary on Saturday night.

The Capitals enter this game short on manpower, as 7 players from the opening night roster are nursing injuries and may miss the game. None of Matt Bradley, Mike Green, Tom Poti, Marcus Johansson, Semyon Varlamov, Boyd Gordon, and John Carlson are sure bets to grace RBC Center ice. This has necessitated the recalls of goaltender Braden Holtby, center Mathieu Perreault, and defenseman Brian Fahey from the Capitals AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears.

Joe Corvo was invisible as a Cap. Will he be invisible tonight?

What to watch for:

The French Connection: Mathieu Perreault had an amazing game centering the Caps second line on Saturday against the Thrashers. He had two sick assists to set up Alexander Semin for a hat trick. Look for Cane killer Semin to pad his stats with Perreault in the middle again.

Start to Finnish: The Capitals defense has been decimated with injuries and it's still only October. The Capitals will have to protect their goal and will need extra help from the forwards if minute-munching defensemen Tom Poti, Mike Green, and John Carlson are out or limited. After allowing two late-period goals against the Thrashers, the Caps will have their hands full with top-end Finns Jussi Jokinen and Joni Pitkanen.

Rock You Like a Hurricane: With all of the injuries, look for Caps enforcer D.J. King to get into the lineup and to square off against the Canes' Tom Kostopoulos. With serious playing time to be earned, look for King to be a presence in Cam Ward's crease, too.