After a hard fought 4-3 overtime win over the St. Louis Blues on Sunday, the Washington Capitals are right back at home on Tuesday night as they continue their current 3-game home stand. The Capitals have won 4 in a row, and have won 9 straight home games. On Tuesday night, the Capitals will get a visit from the Vancouver Canucks. Puck drop is at 7 PM ET on NBC Sports Washington.
VANCOUVER CANUCKS
The struggles continue for a young team that has been in the process of a rebuild. The Canucks have gone 0-3-1 in their last 4 games, and have won just 2 of their last 10 games. Their most recent loss came on Sunday night, as they lost to Montreal 5-2. The Canucks are in the middle of a 7-game road trip.
Despite the Canucks recent struggles, rookie forward Brock Boeser has Canucks fans excited for the future. Boeser, 20, was the Canucks 1st round pick in 2015 and is currently in the Calder Trophy conversation. Boeser has recorded 22 goals and 40 points in 39 games played.
It has been an uphill battle for the Canucks in the standings, as they have bit the injury bug with several key players. The most noticeable loss for the Canucks is centre Bo Horvat, who has been out of action since December 5.
Jacob Markstrom has received most the starts in goal for the Canucks. He has recorded 10 wins, a 2.76 goals against average, and a .907 save percentage.
WASHINGTON CAPITALS
The Capitals are still hanging at the top of the Metropolitan Division. They currently lead the division by 2 points over the Columbus Blue Jackets, and they lead New Jersey by 3 points.
Alex Ovechkin has been on a tear in his last 4 games. In his last 4 games, the Capitals Captain has recorded 4 goals and 8 points. Ovechkin now has 27 goals during the regular season.
Even with the 4-game win streak, Barry Trotz is still going through line adjustments daily. It appears that T.J. Oshie will continue to be positioned on the third line next to Lars Eller and Brett Connolly. Oshie was moved to the third line during the matchup with the Blues, and he was able to provide a spark to the line. In addition to Oshie moving to the third line, it appears that either Andre Burakovsky or Jakub Vrana will sit out in the matchup versus the Canucks.
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#Caps lines: 8-19-25; 13-92-43; 10-20-77; and 18-83-39. Oshie stays on the third line. DSP remains on the top line. Burakovsky, meanwhile, appears to be rotating in.
— Tarik El-Bashir⌨️🎙🏒 (@TarikNBCS) January 8, 2018
SKATE SHAVINGS
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“It ended up all clicking for us.” — T.J. Oshie on finding quick chemistry with new linemates Lars Eller and Brett Connolly. #Caps pic.twitter.com/9ztwc6zqx4
— Tarik El-Bashir⌨️🎙🏒 (@TarikNBCS) January 8, 2018
A LOOK BACK IN TIME
The Capitals and Canucks last squared off on October 26 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver. The Canucks won the matchup 6-2.
By: George Foussekis
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