Flames, Hamonic brace for Ovechkin, Capitals (Oct 29, 2017)
CALGARY, Alberta -- Travis Hamonic has seen his fair share of Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby over the years.
In his first year as a defenseman with the Calgary Flames, Hamonic will renew acquaintances with both his old Metropolitan Division foes over the next five days.
"I've spent a lot of time on the ice against those guys," said Hamonic, who spent his first seven NHL seasons playing for the New York Islanders before being acquired by the Flames on June 24. "It drives you to be better, whether you're playing them or any other top player in the league, you want to measure yourself. You want to see where you're at.
"It's a barometer test for you and your team and individually as well. You want to try to put your best foot forward against some of the best in the league and come out on top."
The Flames (5-6-0), who lost 2-1 to the Dallas Stars at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Friday, will continue their seven-game homestand when they host Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals on Sunday. They'll then get a four-day break before taking on Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday.
After starting the season with four wins in their first six games, the Flames have gone 1-4 in their past five contests.
"Obviously special teams hasn't been the strongest area for us as of late, but five-on-five I think we're doing a lot of good things," Hamonic said. "We're certainly not giving up much and there's a lot of things to be excited and happy about in our game. We've got to keep those things rolling forward and get some of the other aspects of our game cleaned up and get rolling here."
Flames right winger Jaromir Jagr, who has missed the past three games with a lower-body injury, will be a game-day decision as to whether he plays against the Capitals on Sunday.
"He's still day-to-day, so we'll see where he's at," Calgary coach Glen Gulutzan said. "He wants to play as soon as he (can). When our medical guys think he's ready to play, he's going to play. He doesn't stay out an extra day or two. If he's ready, he's going to play. We'll see how he is in the morning skate (on Sunday)."
After going 3-1-1 in their first five games, the Capitals lost four of their next five. Led by a pair of goals by Evgeny Kuznetsov and three assists from Ovechkin, Washington (5-5-1) bounced back Saturday night in Edmonton with a 5-2 victory over the Oilers.
"We needed that win to feel a little bit comfortable," said Ovechkin, while noting he and his teammates were going to enjoy the victory before switching their attentions to face the Flames. "(Sunday)'s another big one. I don't think we have good success this year on back-to-backs, so it's going to be a big test for us."
The Caps are 0-2 this season in the second half of back-to-back games, which is something that right winger Devante Smith-Pelly isn't too concerned about.
"I think most guys would say that rather than sitting around and waiting for the next game, that you get right back at it," said Smith-Pelly, who scored his first goal of the season against the Oilers. "If we play like we did those last two periods, we're going to win a lot more games than we lose."
While right winger Brett Connolly missed Saturday's game as he undergoes the NHL's concussion protocol, the Capitals welcomed back center Nicklas Backstrom to their lineup Saturday after he missed Thursday's 6-2 loss in Vancouver because of illness.
