Two new faces
Posted 3:34 PM ET | Comments 0
When the Capitals face a familiar foe on Wednesday at Capital One Arena in the Vegas Golden Knights, they will have a couple of new faces in the line-up. One looks to get back to regular minutes on the Caps back-end while another makes his Capitals debut.rnrnMichal Kempny returns after missing the first two games while recovering from a concussion suffered in the pre-season against the Blues. St. Louis Robert Bortuzzo was suspended on the hit that caused the injury. The NHL handed out a three game suspension, though the first two were pre-season games. Receiving only one regular season game for a repeat offender is a hard pill to swallow for Caps fans when Tom Wilson is on your team. rnrnKempny will look again to pair up with John Carlson as the two played together during last year’s Cup run. While Kempny doesn’t gain many points (he allows John Carlson to roam and pick up the offense from the blueline) as he is a solid defender and his skating is on par in today’s NHL. He makes up for points by moving the puck quickly and plays a fast game. In 46 games last year including playoffs Kempny amassed only 24 minutes in penalties. He is smart and the Caps will welcome him back. rnrnDimitrij Jaskin, claimed off waivers from the St. Louis Blues on October 2, 2018, will make his Capitals debut and skate on the 4th line with Nic Dowd and Chandler Stephenson. The 2011 2nd round pick has proven NHL ability with 13 goals in 54 games in the 2014-15 season. However his offense has suffered since with only 11 goals since 2015-16. Jaskin has good size at 6’2” / 216 lbs and moves well. Playing in the Blues system as a prospect over the last few seasons will bold well for the Capitals. His defensive responsibility will be well trained and his hustle should match. Just ask TJ Oshie about playing in St. Louis system. Look for Jaskin on the penalty kill unit.rnrnForward Nathan Walker and Defenceman Madison Bowey will be out of the lineup that was unchanged over the first two games.rn