Photo: Patrick Smith/Getty Images
The Washington Capitals host the Winnipeg Jets for the second and final game of the season between the two teams. The Capitals won 5-2 at Canadian Life Centre in the first meeting with the Jets on December 17 and have won eight straight home games against Winnipeg dating back to April 23, 2013. Action from Capital One Arena can be seen on NBC Sports Washington in-market or ESPN+ out-of-market beginning at 7 PM ET.
Schedule
The Jets begin a four-game road trip (Nashville on Thursday, Boston on Saturday afternoon, and Pittsburgh on Sunday afternoon) and play their fifth straight game on the road. They are scheduled to play their first home game since December 19 on Tuesday, January 25 against the Florida Panthers.
The Capitals conclude a two-game homestand and continue a stretch where they play six of eight at Capital One Arena after falling 4-2 to the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday afternoon, their second loss of the stretch.
Records
Jets: 7-6-4 on the road (.529 points percentage, 15th in NHL), 5-1-1 since losing five straight on the road from late October to late November
Capitals: 10-5-5 at home (.625 points percentage, 14th), lost three straight at home (0-2-1) and are 1-4-1 in their last six at Capital One Arena
How Each Team Is Doing
Jets: won four of five since losing to the Capitals last month but have played just once since January 6, a 3-0 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday
Capitals: lost five of last six games (1-3-2) after going 15-4-3 from November 6-January 1, -8 goal differential in last five games
Standings
Jets: five points behind San Jose Sharks for final wild-card spot in Western Conference with six games in hand, eighth in West and fifth in Central Division with a .574 points percentage
Capitals: third in Metropolitan Division; three points behind New York Rangers (both teams have played 39 games) for first and one behind Carolina Hurricanes (four games in hand) for second, fourth in Metropolitan Division (Hurricanes, .743; Rangers, .692; Pittsburgh Penguins, .662) and eighth in Eastern Conference with a .654 points percentage entering Monday
Team Leaders
Jets
Points: LW Kyle Connor, 37
Goals: Connor, 20
Assists: Connor/D Nate Schmidt, 17
Plus-Minus: D Brenden Dillon, +11
TOI-per-game: D Josh Morrissey, 22:20
Additional Notes: Connor has been held off of the scoresheet five times in his last eight games; C Pierre-Luc Dubois has just two goals and three points in his last nine and has been held without a point in seven of them; C Andrew Copp has two goals and four points in his last four games; C Mark Schiefele’s four-game point-streak (two goals, six points) ended on Thursday
Capitals
Points: LW Alex Ovechkin, 54
Goals: Ovechkin, 26
Assists: Ovechkin, 28
Plus-Minus: D Nick Jensen, +19
TOI-per-game: D John Carlson, 23:43
Additional Notes: Ovechkin has four points during a four-game point-streak and two goals during a two-game goal-streak; C Evgeny Kuznetsov has a goal and five points during a four-game point-streak; C Nicklas Backstrom has earned an assist in all but one of his six games this season; RW Tom Wilson has two goals in his last two games
Team Stats
The first graphic shows the possession metrics for the Jets and Capitals entering Tuesday’s game. The Capitals appear to have the edge in possession.
The second demonstrates game averages and special team stats where the Capitals once again appear to have the advantage. After facing the NHL’s worst power play on Sunday, the Capitals will get the second-worst unit on Tuesday.
Expected Starting Goaltenders
Jets: Connor Hellebuyck, 28
14-10-4 record (12th in NHL)
.916 save percentage
2.73 goals-against average
Two shutouts (tied for eighth)
4-3-1, .936 save percentage, 1.97 goals-against average, shutout in eight career games vs. Capitals, including 34 saves on 37 shots on December 17
4-1-0 since last game vs. WSH
33-save shutout in Jets’ 3-0 win in Detroit on Thursday, his last appearance
Capitals: Vitek Vanecek, 25
7-4-5 record
.911 save percentage
2.51 goals-against average
Earned lone shutout of season on Saturday in 2-0 win at New York Islanders where he made 23 saves, his last appearance
Career-high 40 saves in first career start vs. WPG on December 17
Injuries/Illnesses
Jets
* Dillon (COVID-19 protocol, expected to miss second straight game)
* RW Blake Wheeler (lower-body injury, eighth, out week-to-week)
* C David Gustafsson (lower-body injury, sixth, indefinite)
* G Eric Comrie (COVID-19 protocol, second)
Capitals
* LW Anthony Mantha (shoulder, 29th, indefinite)
* RHD John Carlson (COVID-19 protocol, second)
* RW T.J. Oshie (upper-body injury, second, status TBD)
* LW Conor Sheary (COVID-19 protocol, third)
Projected Lineups
Jets
Copp — Schiefele — Nikolaj Ehlers
Connor — Dubois — Cole Perfetti
Jansen Hawkins — Adam Lowry — Kristian Reichel
Kristian Vesalainen — Dominic Tominato — C.J. Seuss
Morrissey — Dylan DeMelo
Dylan Samberg — Neal Pionk
Vinnie Heinola — Schmidt
Hellebuyck
Mikhail Berdin
Scratched: RW Evgeny Svechnikov, LHD Nathan Beaulieu, RHD Nelson Nogier
Capitals
Ovechkin — Kuznetsov — Aliaksei Protas
Connor McMichael — Backstrom — Wilson
Daniel Sprong — Lars Eller — Brett Leason
Carl Hagelin — Nic Dowd — Garnet Hathaway
Martin Fehervary — Jensen
Dmitry Orlov — Trevor Van Riemsdyk
Matt Irwin — Justin Schultz
Vanecek
Scratched: C Michael Sgarbossa, LHD Dennis Cholowski
By Harrison Brown
