Capitals prepare for unusual start to road trip in Ottawa

After playing 11 of their first 15 games this season at home, the Washington Capitals open up a two-game road trip against the Ottawa Senators Tuesday night under unusual circumstances.

With Washington making its first trip north of the border this season and playing just west of Canada's capital, the stop will have some political overtones outside. A group known as the Ukranian Canadian Congress will be holding a demonstration outside the Canadian Tire Centre before puck drop, and plan to show their displeasure of Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin's role in political campaigning in his native Russia.

While the planned protests are making news around Ottawa, inside the small visitor's locker room in Kanata, the Capitals said they are focused on business at hand.

"Honestly, it doesn't [impact us], and I'm not trying to dodge the question," Capitals coach Spencer Carbery said after morning skate. "It's just, we're a family in here and [Ovechkin] is our captain, and we keep it very, very focused on what we need to accomplish as a team, and that's what we're focused on is tonight's giving our [best]."

"I think whatever happens outside the rink isn't really, I mean, I don't think anyone in this room is really focused on what's gonna happen," Tom Wilson said after the skate. “You know, the politics and outside the rink ... So our job's to play hockey and get ready for the game."

Carbery was also asked what it is like to coach Ovechkin.

"Honestly, when I get around [Ovechkin], when I first took this job 4 years ago, I was, you know, it's [Ovechkin], and then once you get into it, it's just O and I think that's part of the great thing about him as a captain, and I've spoken on this at length, is he just makes you feel like I'm his coach, he's our captain.

"And the relationship is seamless, not Alex Ovechkin, the greatest goal scorer in the history of the game. It's it's Ovechkin, the captain, the player, what do we need to do? And so our relationship has been like that. And so it's hard to envision or hard to look at it in that way of who he is as an icon."

Despite the political overtones outside, it is a chance for the Capitals to do some road bonding after most of the past month has been at home.

"I was saying this to our coaches this morning," Carbery said. "I don't know if I've ever been in 17 years of doing this, 7 games more at home than on the road.

"That's a huge tilt to have, especially early in the season. So to be able to get out on the road and start to make up some of those 7 games and get the group together is nice."

"It's good. It's been a weird start for us," Wilson said.

"You're at home a lot, you know, a couple days in between games, and you play it back-to-back kind of …. hasn't been much flow. So it'll be good to get on the road and get the guys together and play some games."

The Capitals, who snapped a 2-game skid against the Florida Panthers Saturday, now look to improve on their 2-2 mark on the road. The Senators have won 2 straight and are 11-6-1 overall.

"I think in our experience over the last few years, they've just been really, really highly competitive games,” Carbery said. “And I think that just speaks to sort of our identity as a team. Our makeup as a group, like ultra competitive, physical, heavy. And then you look across the way and it's similar, right? We do it in different ways, but just the way that they play and the structure that they play with and the physicality and competitiveness that they play with, I think those are just 2 teams that collide.

"You're going to get a game that, you know, has moments where it's highly contested. It's physical, and it borders on the, on the, um, a being a little bit edgy. So I think that's what you've seen in the past, real good hockey team. 


I think we've had some really good games in this building with these guys. And so, um, Hopefully, you know, coming on the road now, we can put our best foot forward and play well tonight and our work done."