The Capitals return home from Montreal for their traditional Super Bowl Sunday matinée to host the Kings . This is the ninth consecutive season the Capitals have hosted a game on the date of the big game. Both teams are in the second of back-to-back affairs and coming off big wins. Puck drop is at noon and you can catch the game on NBC. 

LOS ANGELES
The Kings head into the contest having won five games in a row. They are coming off a 1-0 overtime win over the Flyers on Saturday afternoon. Jeff Carter netted the game-winner. Goaltender Peter Budaj stopped all 17 shots he faced for his league-leading seventh shutout of the season.

The win improved the Kings record to 27-21-4 with 58 points. The Kings currently sit in the top Wild Card spot, just a point ahead of the Calgary Flames. Carter leads LA with 27 goals and 47 points. Anze Kopitar leads the Kings in assists with 26.

Special Teams:
The Kings sit 22nd in the league with the man-advantage with a conversion rate of 17.4%. Their penalty kill is the 7th best in the NHL with a success rate of 83.5%.

Shots Fired:
The Kings are eighth in the NHL in shots per game with 30.8. Los Angeles is ranked first in the league in fewest shots-against per game, allowing an average of just 25.7 shots per game.

WASHINGTON
The Capitals are coming off a 3-2 win over the Canadiens on Saturday afternoon. The Capitals got goals from Jay Beagle, Andre Burakovsky and Nicklas Backstrom. Braden Holtby stopped 20-of-22 shots, finishing with a .909 save percentage in the win.

The win on Saturday improved the Capitals’ record to 35-11-6, good for 76 points. The Caps are at the top of the standings in the Metropolitan Division, Eastern Conference and the NHL. The Wild are five points behind them for the best record in the NHL.

Backstrom leads the team in points (52) and assists (37). Alex Ovechkin leads the Caps in goals with 25. With Holtby starting Saturday, the Capitals will turn to Philipp Grubauer to get the start in goal Sunday afternoon. Grubauer carries a 9-3-2 record, a 2.13 goals-against average and a .924 save percentage.

Special Teams:
The Capitals went 1-for-4 on the power play in Montreal with the lone tally coming on  a goal by Nicklas Backstrom in the third period.

Overall, the Capitals rank 11th in the NHL on the power play with a conversion rate of 20.9%. Washington is tied for fifth on the PK, just ahead of the Kings, with a success rate of 84.2%.

Shots Fired:
The Capitals are 17th in the league in shots per game with an average of 29.7. The Capitals average the seventh fewest shots-against per game with 28.2.

THE MATCHUP
Sunday’s matinée is the first of two meetings between the Capitals and Kings this season. The series last season was split as each squad won on their home ice, however the Capitals did earn a point in both meetings. The teams last met in LA back in March in a game that saw Washington trail 3-0 entering the final 20 minutes of regulation, before the Capitals put on an inspiring run, scoring three straight goals to force overtime. The final meeting of the regular season will take place on Saturday, March 11th at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

SHAVINGS

• The Capitals will honor Alex Ovechkin with a pregame ceremony for recording his 1,000th NHL point back on Jan. 11 vs. Pittsburgh. Fans will receive an #Ovech1kin cutout.
• The Capitals are 16-7-1-0 all-time at home on Super Bowl Sunday.
• Barry Trotz passed Dick Irvin on Saturday for his 693rd career NHL win. Trotz is now in sixth place on the all-time NHL coaching wins list.

GAME LINKS
Game Notes vs. Los Angeles, 2/5/17 (Capitals PR)

By Michael Marzzacco
Follow @marswaggo

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