Who is the Player to Watch against the Washington Capitals?
Tom Wilson is widely considered to be the Capital's player to watch for Washington's franchise. Let's break down how he could impact the Rangers on ice and what to look out for in tonight's game.
After two straight games hosting opponents at Madison Square Garden, the New York Rangers will travel to Washington to take on the Capitals.
The Rangers fell to the Washington Capitals in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs during the 2023-24 campaign. Flashing forward to the present, the Blueshirts currently boast a 6-1-1 record compared to Washington's 5-2-0 slate.
Although, it is worth noting Washington is a different team with some new players, including forward Pierre Luc Dubois, defenseman Jacob Chyrcrun and goaltender Logan Thompson.
Records and new players side, Tom Wilson is obviously the opposing team's player to watch ahead of the rapidly approaching Oct. 29 matchup.
Tom Wilson
Wilson has done a lot for the Capitals both on and off the ice.
On the ice, he is currently leading the team with goals featuring five scored across seven games played. He's also tallied one assist so far for a total of six points.
Leading the Capitals with five goals through seven games after getting back from ACL surgery last year is a big improvement.
Another aspect of his game where the Toronto native has improved would be with his on-ice chemistry.
While paired with teammate Pierre-Luc Dubois, the two have formed quite the dynamic one-two punch.
He's also no stranger to physicality. Widely considered to be one of the original tough guys on ice, Washington selected Wilson with the No. 16 pick in the 2012 NHL Draft largely because of his reputation as a big hitter.
In 2011-12 with Plymouth of the Ontario Hockey League, he finished with 27 points (nine goals, 18 assists) and 141 penalty minutes in 49 games, but scored 13 points (seven goals, six assists) in 13 playoff games.
Wilson actually made his NHL debut with the Capitals in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Second Round against the New York Rangers in 2013.
He signed a seven-year, $45.5 million contract with the Capitals on Aug. 4 2023, choosing to commit to Washington over becoming an unrestricted free agent after the 2023-24 season. He had set NHL career-highs in goals (24), assists (28), points (52), power-play points (10) and time on ice per game (18:35) in 78 games in 2021-22, representing the Capitals at the 2022 NHL All-Star Game.
If only one player was going to score in the Thursday night game, odds are it's going to be Wilson.
New York Rangers Projected Lineup
Chris Kreider – Mika Zibanejad – Reilly Smith
Artemi Panarin – Vincent Trocheck – Alexis Lafrenière
Will Cuylle – Filip Chytil – Kaapo Kakko
Adam Edstrom – Sam Carrick – Matt Rempe
Ryan Lindgren – Adam Fox
K’Andre Miller – Jacob Trouba
Victor Mancini – Braden Schneider
Igor Shesterkin
Jonathan Quick
Washington Capitals Projected Lineup
Alex Ovechkin - Dylan Strome - Aliaksei Protas
Tom Wilson - Pierre-Luc Dubois - Connor McMichael
Taylor Raddysh - Nic Dowd - Brandon Duhaime
Jakub Vrana - Hendrix Lapierre - Andrew Mangiapane
Jakob Chychrun - John Carlson
Rasmus Sandin - Trevor van Riemsdyk
Martin Fehervary - Dylan McIlrath
Logan Thompson
Charlie Lindgren
How to Tune In
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Puck drop for the Wsahington Capitals hosting the Rangers is slated for 7:30 p.m. EST, tonight — Thursday, Oct. 29. The game will be streamed via Fubo and Sling TV, in addition to being broadcasted on ESPN. Be sure to tune into our Twitter for live updates.