Spotlight on Caps: 12/15/10

The bright lights will be on the Washington Capitals tonight in more ways than one. First, a home game against the rough and tumble Anaheim Ducks, who are coming off a commanding win against the Minnesota Wild. The Caps have got to be feeling the pressure of finding a way to reverse this maddening losing streak of late - and fast! The Ducks may be without vet Teemu Selanne and they are also missing Aaron Voros, who has a fractured orbital bone he received in a fight with Vancouver's Kevin Bieksa - ouch. Corey Perry leads the team in offensive stats, with 16 goals under his belt including his first career hat trick on Sunday against the Wild. Caps rookie defenseman will be facing fellow youngster Cam Fowler across the ice. Fowler and Carlson are the top two rookies in terms of ice time (Carlson with 26:07 and Fowler with 22:12) Meanwhile, the Caps are apparently still battling illness as Alex Semin is questionable for tonight and the team has called up both Andrew Gordon and Jay Beagle from the farm. There's no question the spotlight is glaring on the Caps to quickly reverse the current skid, with some even calling for relieving Gabby of his post. The level-headed former Redskin Lavar Arrington says not so fast - here's his take on the Capitals current situation. Let's walk away with the much-needed win tonight boys!

The other spotlight on the Caps will be in the form of stagelights, as tonight is the much hyped debut of HBO's 24/7 Penguins/Capitals: The Road to the NHL Winter Classic. For the first time, sports lovers will get an upclose and personal look inside the locker rooms, personal lives, training regimens and game day experiences of NHL players, coaches and operations staffs. Be forewarned and make sure the kiddies are in bed (they darn well should be at 10 p.m.) as I've heard the language will be a bit 'salty' to say the least. Puck Daddy has even come up with a very funny drinking game (for those of you over 21 and confined to the safety of your homes of course) to add to your viewing enjoyment of HBO's behind-the-scenes look at two of the most dominant teams in the NHL (and need I add, most bitter rivals).  It's pretty doggone cold out there - the perfect night to hunker down for an evening of hockey entertainment.