The post Healthy Caps showing potential win over Blackhawks appeared first on NBC Sports Washington
WASHINGTON — It took 73 games, but Thursday night's game against the Chicago Blackhawks saw the Washington Capitals keep six players from their 2018 Stanley Cup team -- Alex Ovechkin, Nicolas Backstrom, Tom Wilson, TJ Oshie, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Nic Dowd -- healthy. same time this season.
Of course, it was no surprise that the Capitals had their best season on Thursday night. Ovechkin, Backstrom and Karlsson each had a goal and an assist as Washington beat the Blackhawks 6-1.
Thursday night's game was Karlsson's first since suffering a serious injury on Dec. 23 following a hit to the face. While Karlsson said he felt disconnected from many games on the ice, his teammates must feel the sensation. Presence in Chicago.
"It's good to have people back. Emotionally, it's good to see them again," Dowd said. "Karl [Mann] is an elite player. He's the best. It was his first game in three months and he's one of the best players on the ice in my opinion. He's a special player."
With nine games remaining, the Capitals find themselves within four points of the Pittsburgh Penguins for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. And a big reason why Washington is out of the playoff race right now is because of the number of injuries the team has suffered this season.
Wilson and Backstrom each missed the better part of the season recovering from offseason surgeries. Karlsson missed three months due to injury. Ovechkin has missed six games this season, two due to injury and four due to the death of his father.
It was not only the capital that was injured. Oshie, Dowd, Martin Fehervary, Nick Jensen and Darcy Kuemper have also lost multiple times this year. Therefore, Thursday's game is an important win for a fully healthy team.
"It's a shame that so many people lost time and showed serious injuries," Kuemper said. "It's great to come out every day and see what everybody does when they come off the field, to have him back in the lineup. I think he showed everybody what we can do to him for the first time. When we all come together as a team.
On Tuesday, Wilson said the capital loss was "no excuse" for their position on the charts. But after the win over Chicago, one has to wonder what might have happened if the Capitals had stayed relatively healthy all season.
But like Wilson, Carlson downplayed that philosophy when asked.
"I think it's something we can't imagine because it's never happened," Carlson said. "Obviously you want to play better than when I was there, when they were there, etc. So I think now is a good time and we can see what we can do. Take it from here."
Although Washington is only 4 points behind Pittsburgh in the standings, the Capitals are struggling in the postseason. But the reality is that a close finish is needed to win the last wildcard.
An experienced and confident team, the Capitals still believe they have a chance to make some noise later in the year. It starts with an important road game against the Penguins on Saturday.
"We've got nine more games to run and do something special here," Dylan Strome said. "I think if we make the playoffs, we're going to be one of the hottest teams coming up. We're excited for this contest, and obviously Saturday (against Pittsburgh) is a big game."