[Bob 0119]

Today’s Storyline

Zero heroes – It shouldn’t be a surprise tonight if either team puts up a shutout. Florida has blanked its last two opponents, with Tomas Vokoun posting a shutout streak of 142:09. Washington – which needs to buckle down defensively in the absence of leading goal scorer Alex Ovechkin – has posted three of its last six shutouts against the Panthers, including a 3-0 blanking by Jose Theodore last March 17.


NOTE OF THE NIGHT

Southeast, at last – Washington ’s 16th game is just its third against a Southeast Division opponent and its first against a division foe other than Atlanta . This home-and-home series marks the only November games against Southeast Division teams until Washington ’s final game of the month, Nov. 30 at Carolina .



FIVE MORE NOTES NO MEDIA PERSON SHOULD BE WITHOUT

Mathieu’s debut – Center Mathieu Perreault, the Capitals’ sixth-round choice in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, recorded two assists Thursday night his NHL debut against the Devils. He became the first Capital to record a point in his NHL debut since Nicklas Backstrom on Oct. 5, 2007. Perreault is the fifth member of the Capitals’ 2006 draft class to reach the NHL (Backstrom, Semyon Varlamov, Michal Neuvirth, Oskar Osala), the most of any NHL team.



Laich a leader – Brooks Laich leads the Capitals with nine points in the third period this season (3g-6a) and has 10 of his 15 points on the road (trailing only Alex Ovechkin in road scoring). Laich has three points in the last two games, all in the third period.



Starting something – Washington has scored first in 12 of 15 games this year. The Capitals have outscored their opponents 18-6 in the first period and have scored at least one goal in the first period of 12 of their 15 games.



In a Flash – Tomas Fleischmann has points in three straight games, giving him four points (3g-1a) in four games since returning from a blood clot in his leg. A 19-goal scorer last season, Fleischmann would match the best point-scoring streak of his career if he records a point tonight.



Minus 8 – Left wing Alex Ovechkin is expected to miss just the sixth game of his five-year career tonight, his fourth due to injury. Washington is 1-4-0 without Ovechkin in the lineup since he joined the team in 2005 and is 0-3-0, with just three goals, in its last three games without Ovechkin.