March 9 vs. Seattle Kraken at Capital One Arena
Time: 3:30 p.m.
TV: MNMT
Radio: 106.7 THE FAN, Caps Radio 24/7
Seattle Kraken (27-33-4)
Washington Capitals (41-14-8)
The Caps close out a quick, two-game weekend homestand on Sunday afternoon against the Seattle Kraken. Washington carries a three-game winning streak into the contest and the Caps will depart the District immediately after Sunday’s game. The Caps will spend the next week in the Golden State, facing the NHL’s three California clubs.
Coming two days after the NHL’s trade deadline for the 2024-25 season, the trip is well-timed for Washington. The Caps acquired forward Anthony Beauvillier in a Friday morning deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins, and the 27-year-old winger arrived in the DMV late Friday night; Pittsburgh was on the road out west when the deal went down.
Beauvillier met and practiced with his new teammates for the first time on Saturday morning, and he is expected to make his debut for the Caps on Sunday against Seattle. He skated the right side of a line with Brandon Duhaime and Nic Dowd at Saturday’s practice session.
“I was still sleeping, so it was definitely a crazy morning,” says Beauvillier of learning of the trade. “But hearing that I was coming to Washington, I couldn’t be more pumped. These guys have put in so much work this year, and obviously playing against these guys is never an easy game. And joining a team that’s had success and is looking to have success over the next couple of months, it’s definitely an honor to be here, and a privilege.”
Beauvillier had 13 goals and 20 points while averaging 13 minutes per game with the Penguins this season. He missed only one game this season prior to the trade, and his dozen goals at 5-on-5 were third-most among all Penguins this season.
“I’m just getting to know him,” says Washington coach Spencer Carbery of the newest Capital. “I’ve seen quite a bit of him in the past, most recently over the last couple years, but also following his career in New York, where he was there for a long time and part of those quality teams that they had – for call it a good 10-year stretch – when Barry [Trotz] was there, and even before that.
“I’m excited to have him. I think he's going to be a great addition to the group. I think him having a few relationships with a couple of the guys on the team, all the reports, all the things we know about him, I think he'll be a good fit to our style of play, the pace he plays with, some of the attention to detail, stuff that we require our guys to play with. And so I think he'll be a real good fit.”
Originally a first-round choice (28th overall) of the New York Islanders in the 2015 NHL Draft, Beauvillier reached the NHL as a 19-year-old in 2016-17, and has played only three minor league games in his pro career, all of them with AHL Bridgeport in 2017-18.
“I like to think I’m a hard-working guy that’s good on the forecheck,” says Beauvillier, by way of self-description. “I can generate speed and make plays, I like to play with energy and a little bit of grit, so I’ll try to bring that to the team.”
“We'll put him with Dowd and Dewey right out of the gate,” says Carbery. “Which you may look at and say, ‘Well, he's a fourth line wing.’ But as everybody knows, Dowd’s line doesn't play much like a fourth line. They play a lot more minutes than that, and Dowd and Dewey are really good players to play with to get him integrated into our group. They talk a ton, not only on the ice, but off the ice, on the bench. So I think it's a good starting point for Anthony, and we'll see where it goes from there.”
After spending most of the first seven seasons of his career with the Isles, the Caps will become Beauvillier’s sixth NHL team in the last three seasons, and Washington is the fourth team he has joined in midseason in the last three campaigns.
“The game itself stays the same,” he says, of adjusting to new NHL environments. “You play against the same kind of players, but yeah, you’ve definitely got to try to get the system under your belt as quick as possible. But I think the biggest thing for me is to get to know the guys as quick as possible, and be comfortable around them. Usually, that shows on the ice.”
With a new player joining the ranks three-quarters of the way into the season, it’s good timing for Beauvillier and the Caps to be heading out onto the road.
“We’ll give him one game at home,” says Carbery, referring to Sunday’s tilt with Seattle. “I even think just [Saturday’s practice], just being able to get in [Friday] night and then have a full day to get everything squared away, equipment.
“There’s so much that goes into it; he’s just trying to figure out what doors to go through. I always remember that. Even as a coach coming in – let alone all your responsibilities – you’re just like, ‘Where do I go? Where’s the washroom?’
“So it will be nice for him to get a game at home and then get out on the road with the guys. And he’s got some prior relationships, and he’s played in the League, so I’m sure he’s familiar with a lot of these guys. And yeah, looking forward to him joining the group.”
For the second time in as many games on this homestand, the Caps will be facing a team that played the day or night before. Seattle spent Saturday afternoon in the City of Brotherly Love, facing the Flyers. On Sunday in Washington, the Kraken will conclude a compact three-game road trip in which that trio of games was played in a span of just under 72 hours.
The trip began Thursday night in Nashville with a 5-3 loss to the Predators. The Kraken evened up with a 4-1 victory over the Flyers on Saturday, getting three goals in the second period and a 23-save performance from ex-Caps goalie Phillip Grubauer in the nets. Saturday marked Grubauer’s first NHL action since Jan. 28, and his victory over the Flyers snapped a personal six-game slide (0-5-1).
