Caps go on tour and play against B in Boston

September 24th against Boston Bruins at TD Garden

Time: 7pm

TV: MNMT

Radio: Team 980, Capitals Radio 24/7

Washington Capitals (0-1-0)

Boston Bruins (0-1-0)

After a day off on Monday, the Caps return to preseason play on Tuesday night when they play on the road for the first time. The Caps head to Boston to face the Bruins the same day. The game kicks off a series of back-to-back games. The Capitals return home after Tuesday's game and a mostly fresh team travels to New Jersey to face the Devils on Wednesday night.

By the time the game against New Jersey is complete, the Caps will have already completed half of their preseason schedule before training camp is even a week old.

On Sunday, the Caps lost their first preseason game 6-2 to the Philadelphia Flyers at Capital One Arena. Philly took an early lead, and a young group of Caps spent the afternoon trying to overcome the early deficit without success. Andrew Cristall and Ivan Miroshnichenko scored for Washington, with the latter making a splash on the power play.

Five of the 12 district skaters in Sunday's opener are under the age of 20; the Caps definitely leaned green in their opener. In Tuesday's game against the Bruins, we expect fewer of Washington's most recently drafted players, a more generous selection of established veterans and a handful of players who competed on Sunday and are back in action for the second time in as many games.

Among the eight players set to play in the Caps' first two preseason games is Hendrix Lapierre, who played 15:35 minutes in Sunday's opener and won five of 13 draws on the afternoon. In his previous training camps in Washington, Lapierre struggled for a spot on the roster. But after a standout performance in the Calder Cup playoffs – he was awarded the Jack Butterfield Trophy as the playoffs' most valuable player – and a strong late-season run in DC, Lapierre is now considered a bona fide NHL player and his days in Hershey should be behind him.

Lapierre, 22, is the youngest player to win the Butterfield Trophy in seven years. He finished strong in Washington, playing in each of the team's final 26 games. The Capitals went 14-10-2 during that span, and Lapierre contributed six goals and 15 points to rank fourth on the team's scoring list. Only Alex Ovechkin, Dylan Strome and John Carlson scored more points for the Caps in the final third of last season during their improbable run to the playoffs.

“I think you just learn every day and my attitude is that I do everything I can to be successful every day,” Lapierre reflects on the eventful last six months of his career. “And eventually, when you add up those days and do a little bit more and stuff, eventually it pays off and you get positive things out of it. For me it's about sticking to the process. I know that sounds very cliché, but that's really how it was: one day you'll feel good, you'll feel better. You just have to get used to it.

“I don't think there was a point last year where I felt like I really flipped a switch. I started the year strong in the (AHL), then I got a little taste of the NHL. I came back to the (AHL) and when I finally came back in February, I was like, 'Okay, now it's time to shine.' And the worst that can happen is I get demoted again, right? And I've been demoted three times already. So I was like, 'Okay, let's just do it.' And I started playing really well, feeling comfortable and kind of getting a feel for all of that. And now I feel like I belong here, I want to play here, I want to make an impact and I want to help the team win.”

Another notable event from Tuesday's trip to Boston is the likelihood of both Protas brothers – Aliaksei and Ilya – wearing the same uniform in a game at any level. The Belarusian brothers were drafted five years apart, both in the third round of their respective draft years. Although they have obviously been training together, their age difference prevented them from appearing as teammates in the same game until Tuesday.

Aliaksei begins a five-year contract extension this season, while Ilya will begin his North American career with the Windsor Spitfires of the OHL. Earlier this month, the younger Protas scored a hat trick in his exhibition debut with Windsor.

The Protas brothers are one of two sets of brothers in Caps camp this fall; Dylan and Matt Strome are back for their third camp together.

Boston also suffered a defeat in its first preseason game, losing 3-2 to the Rangers at TD Garden on Sunday. The Bruins also had few veterans on the roster, which will likely be the case again on Tuesday. The B's have the luxury – or curse, depending on your point of view – of having one more preseason game than the Caps this fall. Boston has seven exhibition games on the schedule.

The Caps and Bruins will meet again here in DC on October 5th for the final preseason game for both teams.