Photo: John McCreary/NHLI via Getty Images

The Washington Capitals host the Los Angeles Kings for the first of two meetings this season. The teams split their season series last season, including a 3-2 victory by Los Angeles in their lone visit to the District on December 20. 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

Los Angeles finishes a five-game road trip looking to win their fourth on it after a 6-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday.

Washington makes a stop at home before heading out for four straight on the road. It will be their lone game at Capital One Arena in a span of six contests after a 5-2 loss at the Ottawa Senators on Thursday.

RECORDS

2021-22

Los Angeles: 23-11-7 on road (fifth in NHL), 44-27-11 (.604) – third in Pacific Division/sixth in Western Conference

Washington: 19-16-6 at home (21st), 44-26-12 (.610) – fourth in Metropolitan Division/eighth in Eastern Conference

2022-23

Los Angeles: 3-3-0

Washington: 2-3-0 (including 2-1-0 at home)

Team Leaders

2021-22

Los Angeles

• LW Adrian Kempe (35 goals)
• LW Kevin Fiala (52 assists, 85 points)
• D Drew Doughty (25:44 average TOI/game)

Washington

• LW Alex Ovechkin (50 goals, 90 points)
• C Evgeny Kuznetsov (54 assists)
• D John Carlson (54 assists, 23:49 TOI/game)

2022-23

Los Angeles

• Two players: Kempe/C Gabriel Vilardi (three goals each)
• C Anze Kopitar (five assists)
• Vilardi (seven points)
• Doughty (27:19 average TOI/game)

Notes – Kempe and Kopitar each have six points

Washington

• Two players: LWs Anthony Mantha/Conor Sheary (three goals each)
• Kuznetsov (four assists)
• Ovechkin (five points)
• Carlson (24:05 average TOI/game)

Notes – Washington has six players (Strome, Sheary, Johansson, Ovechkin, Kuznetsov, RW T.J. Oshie) with at least four points this season. 15 of the 20 skaters that have suited up in at least one game have scored a point (all except C Aliaksei Protas, C Connor McMichael, LW Joe Snively, RW Garnet Hathaway, RW Connor Brown)

KEY TEAM STATS

Goals-per-game:                   LA – 3.33 (18th)         WSH – 3.00 (T-19th)

Goals-against per game:     LA – 4.50 (30th)         WSH – 3.60 (24th)

Power Play:                            LA – 15.6% (21st)       WSH – 27.8% (11th)

Penalty Kill:                           LA – 75.9% (21st)       WSH – 64.3% (30th)

Shots-per-game:                   LA – 33.7 (T-14th)      WSH – 28.8 (T-22nd)

Shots-against per game:     LA – 34.5 (25th)          WSH – 33 (20th)

Faceoff-winning %:              LA – 51.1% (T-15th)   WSH – 42.4% (29th)

5v5 Corsi-for Percentage:   LA – 48.7% (20th)     WSH – 47.98% (22nd)

5v5 x Goals-For %:               LA – 48.3% (18th)     WSH – 45.07% (25th)

5v5 SCF Percentage:            LA – 47.39% (20th)   WSH – 45.97% (24th)

5v5 Shooting Percentage:   LA – 9.49% (13th)      WSH – 9.71% (12th)

5v5 Save Percentage:           LA – .8933 (27th)       WSH – .9213 (11th)

5v5 PDO:                                LA – .988 (21st)          WSH – 1.018 (11th)

EXPECTED STARTING GOALTENDERS

Los Angeles: TBD

— Jonathan Quick, 36 – 1-2-0, .892 save percentage, 3.87 goals-against average in four games this season after going 23-13-9, .910 save percentage, 2.59 goals-against average, two shutouts in 46 games last; 9-6-0, .913 save percentage, 2.45 goals-against average in 15 career games vs. WSH

— Cal Petersen, 28 — 2-1-0, .842 save percentage, 4.97 goals-against average in three games this season after going 20-14-2, .895 save percentage, 2.89 goals-against average in 37 games in 2021-22; no career starts vs. WSH

Washington: Darcy Kuemper, 32 — 2-2-0, .902 save percentage, 3.04 goals-against average in four games; 8-6-3, .929 save percentage, 2.11 goals-against average, three shutouts in 18 career games vs. Los Angeles; played 19 games with Los Angeles in 2017-18 before getting traded to Arizona Coyotes

INJURIES/ILLNESSES

Los Angeles

* D Alexander Edler (upper-body, will miss fourth straight game, out long-term)

* LW Alex Iafallo (lower-body, third, week-to-week)

Washington

* Brown (lower-body, second, indefinite)

* LW Carl Hagelin (hip, fifth, indefinite)

* RW Tom Wilson (ACL, fifth, indefinite)

* C Nicklas Backstrom (hip, fifth, indefinite)

PROJECTED LINUPS

Los Angeles

Kempe — Kopitar — Fiala
Trevor Moore — Phillip Danault — Viktor Arvidsson
Arthur Kaliyev — Quinton Byfield — Vilardi
Brendan Lemieux — Blake Lizotte — Carl Grundstrom

Mikey Anderson — Doughty
Sean Durzi — Matt Roy
Brandt Clarke — Sean Walker

Petersen
Quick

Scratched: C Jaret Anderson-Dolan, D Jacob Moverare

Washington

Ovechkin — Kuznetsov — Sheary
Protas — Dylan Strome — T.J. Oshie
Marcus Johansson — Lars Eller — Mantha
Snively — Nic Dowd — Hathaway

Martin Fehervary — Carlson
Dmitry Orlov — Nick Jensen
Erik Gustafsson — Trevor Van Riemsdyk

Kuemper
Charlie Lindgren

Scratched: D Matt Irwin, LW Beck Malenstyn, C Connor McMichael

Game Notes

By Harrison Brown