Photo: André Ringuette/NHLI via Getty Images
The Washington Capitals visit the Ottawa Senators for the first of three meetings between the two teams this season. The Capitals took two of three games against them last season, including a 7-5 win on October 25 in their lone visit to the nation’s capital up north, and are 17-2-1 vs. Ottawa since 2014-15.
Action from Canadian Tire Centre can be seen on NBC Sports Washington in-market or ESPN+ out-of-market beginning at 7 PM ET.
SCHEDULE
After playing three of their first four games at home, Washington will play five of their next six and six of their next eight on the road starting on Thursday.
Ottawa will continue a five-game homestand after opening it with a wild 7-5 victory over the Boston Bruins (where they coughed up a 3-0 lead in the second period) in their first home contest of the season.
RECORDS
2021-22
Capitals: 25-10-4 on road (first in NHL), 44-26-12 (.610) – fourth in Metropolitan Division/eighth in Eastern Conference
Senators: 15-22-4 at home (28th), 33-42-7 (.445 points percentage) — seventh in Atlantic Division/13th in Eastern Conference
2022-23
Capitals: 2-2-0 (including 0-1-0 on road)
Senators: 1-2-0 (1-0-0 at home)
TEAM LEADERS
2022-23
Capitals:
- LW Conor Sheary (three goals)
- C Evgeny Kuznetsov (four assists)
- LW Alex Ovechkin (five points)
- D John Carlson (24:06 average TOI/game)
Senators
- Giroux/C Shane Pinto/LW Brady Tkachuk (two goals each)
- RW Drake Batherson (three assists, four points)
- Tkachuk (four points)
- Chabot (25:40 average TOI/game)
KEY TEAM STATS
Goals-per-game: Capitals – 3.25 (18th) Senators – 3.33 (T-16th)
Goals-against per game: Capitals – 3.25 (18th) Senators – 4.00 (T-24th)
Power Play: Capitals – 21.4% (T-15th) Senators – 12.5% (T-22nd)
Penalty Kill: Capitals – 70% (25th) Senators – 77.8% (19th)
Shots-per-game: Capitals – 30 (20th) Senators — 31.7 (T-17th)
Shots-against per game: Capitals – 30.3 (13th) Senators – 34 (T-20th)
Faceoff-winning %: Capitals – 43.9% (24th) Senators – 51.7% (16th)
5v5 Corsi-for Percentage: Capitals – 50.98% (16th) Senators – 47.62% (22nd)
5v5 x Goals-For %: Capitals – 48.74% (19th) Senators – 50.9% (13th)
5v5 SCF Percentage: Capitals – 48.55% (20th) Senators – 52.82% (13th)
5v5 Shooting Percentage: Capitals – 11.36% (eighth) Senators – 9.64% (13th)
5v5 Save Percentage: Capitals – .9032 (22nd) Senators – .9091 (17th)
5v5 PDO: Capitals – 1.017 (17th) Senators – 1.005 (16th)
EXPECTED STARTING GOALTENDERS
Capitals: Darcy Kuemper, 32 — 2-1-0, .889 save percentage, 3.04 goals-against average; 5-1-0, .914 save percentage, 2.62 goals-against average in six career games vs. Ottawa
Senators: Anton Forsberg, 29 — 1-2-0, .900 save percentage, 3.38 goals-against average; 3-1-0, .895 save percentage, 3.48 goals-against average in five career games vs. Washington
INJURIES / ILLNESSES / SUSPENSIONS
Capitals
* Kuznetsov (suspended, first)
* LW Carl Hagelin (hip, will miss fourth straight game, out indefinitely)
* RW Tom Wilson (ACL, fourth, indefinite)
* C Nicklas Backstrom (hip, fourth, indefinite)
* RW Connor Brown (lower-body, first, indefinite)
Senators
* G Cam Talbot (upper-body, fourth, week-to-week)
PROJECTED LINUPS
Capitals
Ovechkin — Lars Eller — Sheary
Aliaksei Protas — Dylan Strome — T.J. Oshie
Marcus Johansson — Connor McMichael — Mantha
Joe Snively — Nic Dowd — Garnet Hathaway
Martin Fehervary — Carlson
Dmitry Orlov — Nick Jensen
Erik Gustafsson — Trevor Van Riemsdyk
Kuemper
Charlie Lindgren
Scratched: D Matt Irwin, LW Beck Malenstyn
Senators
Tkachuk — Tim Stutzle — Drake Batherson
DeBrincat — Josh Norris — Giroux
Tyler Motte — Pinto — Mathieu Joseph
Parker Kelly — Mark Kastelic — Austin Watson
Chabot — Artem Zub
Jake Sanderson — Travis Hamonic
Erik Brannstrom — Nick Holden
Forsberg
Magnus Hellberg
Scratched: D Nikita Zaitsev, C Derick Brassard, C Dylan Gambrell
By Harrison Brown
