Photo: Chris Tanouye/Getty Images

The Washington Capitals visit the Ottawa Senators for the final time this season and the first of two games between the two teams in a week. Ottawa, who won the first meeting by a score of 5-2 on October 20, will visit the United States’ capital on December 29. Action from Canadian Tire Centre can be seen on NBC Sports Washington locally or NHL Network nationally.

SCHEDULE

Washington: just third of six games on the road during a span of 16, begin back-to-back slate with them slated to host Winnipeg Jets on Friday

Ottawa: open three-game homestand after a 1-2-0 road trip, set of back-to-backs with Detroit Red Wings set to visit Ottawa on Friday

RECORDS

Washington: 17-13-4/.559 points percentage – sixth in Metropolitan Division, ninth in Eastern Conference; 7-8-3 on road, 15th in NHL

Ottawa: 14-16-2/.469 points percentage – last in Atlantic Division, 14th in Eastern Conference; 8-8-0 at home, T-23rd

HOW EACH TEAM IS DOING

Washington: 7-1-0 in last eight, 10-3-1 in their last 14 since dropping nine of their previous 11 (2-6-3)

Ottawa: have lost two straight after going 8-2-1 in their previous 11

TEAM LEADERS

Washington

• LW Alex Ovechkin (20 goals, 36 points)
• C Evgeny Kuznetsov (21 assists)
• D John Carlson (23:36 TOI/game)

Notes: Ovechkin, 37, has 18 goals and 31 points in his last 28, including seven goals, 11 points, and three multi-point efforts in his last eight; Ovechkin also enters Thursday two goals away from passing Gordie Howe (801) for second-most goals in NHL history;

Kuznetsov, 30, has eight assists and nine points over his last nine; Carlson, 32, has six assists in his last seven; LW Anthony Mantha has two goals, seven points over his last seven; D Erik Gustafsson has a +11 rating over his last six and four goals and five points in his last two;

D Dmitry Orlov has two assists, four points, +3 rating in five games since returning from a 16-game injury absence; LW Sonny Milano has five assists in his last five; D Trevor Van Riemsdyk has three goals in his last five; C Nic Dowd has three goals and five points in his last four after a two-goal, three-point outing in Monday’s 4-3 overtime win over Detroit; D Nick Jensen has three assists in his last four; RW Nicolas Aube-Kubel has four assists in as many games after earning two vs. Detroit

Ottawa

• RW Claude Giroux (14 goals)
• LW Brady Tkachuk (23 assists, 36 points)
• D Thomas Chabot (25:49 TOI/game)

Notes: Giroux has five goals and nine points in his past nine, including three goals and six points in his last six; Tkachuk has 13 assists and 20 points in his last 19, including six assists and seven points in his last seven;

Chabot has a -6 rating in his last three; RW Drake Batherson has six goals, 13 points over a nine-game point-streak and has 10 assists, 16 points in his last 13; RW Alex DeBrincat has five goals and 18 points in his last 17, including 11 assists and 14 points in 10 games this month and seven assists and nine points in his last four

KEY TEAM STATS

Goals-per-game:                 WSH – 3.06 (T-19th)      OTT – 3.06 (T-19th)

Goals-against per game:   WSH – 2.85 (13th)          OTT – 3.22 (19th)

Power Play:                          WSH – 21.2% (20th)      OTT – 28.5% (4th)

Penalty Kill:                         WSH – 80.2% (T-11th)  OTT – 80.3% (10th)

Shots-per-game:                 WSH – 31.5 (16th)          OTT – 33.5 (6th)

Shots-against per game:   WSH – 30.4 (11th)          OTT – 32.2 (20th)

Faceoff-winning %:            WSH – 48.6% (T-20th) OTT – 53.7% (4th)

5v5 Corsi-for %:                  WSH – 51.01% (14th)     OTT – 52.36% (6th)

5v5 x Goals-For %:             WSH – 50.97% (15th)    OTT – 52.17% (11th)

5v5 SCF %:                           WSH – 51.33% (14th)    OTT – 52.58% (9th)

5v5 Shooting %:                  WSH – 7.91% (23rd)      OTT – 6.49% (30th)

5v5 Save %:                          WSH – .9212 (12th)        OTT – .9141 (21st)

5v5 PDO:                              WSH – 1 (T-15th)            OTT – .979 (T-30th)

EXPECTED STARTING GOALTENDERS

Washington: Charlie Lindgren, 29 — 9-4-2, .910 save percentage, 2.71 goals-against average in 16 games this season; first career start vs. Ottawa

Ottawa: Cam Talbot, 35 — 8-8-0, .910 save percentage, 2.70 goals-against average, one shutout in 18 games; 4-7-0, .911 save percentage, 2.62 goals-against average in 13 career games vs. Washington

INJURIES/ILLNESSES

Washington

• Dowd (non-COVID-19 illness, first, day-to-day)
• D Martin Fehervary (lower-body, will likely miss ninth straight game, out day-to-day)
• RW Connor Brown (ACL, 31st, indefinite)
• LW Carl Hagelin (hip, 35th, indefinite)
• RW Tom Wilson (ACL, 35th, indefinite)
• C Nicklas Backstrom (hip, 35th, indefinite)
• LW Beck Malenstyn (finger, 24th, week-to-week)
• D Alexander Alexeyev (upper-body, sixth, status unknown)
• RW T.J. Oshie (upper-body, second, day-to-day)

Ottawa

• C Josh Norris (shoulder, 28th, indefinite)
• D Jacob Bernard-Docker (high-ankle sprain, 16th, indefinite)
• D Artem Zub (jaw, ninth, week-to-week)
• RW Mathieu Joseph (lower-body, seventh, day-to-day)
• C Tim Stutzle (shoulder strain, fifth, day-to-day)

PROJECTED LINEUPS

Washington

Ovechkin — Dylan Strome — Conor Sheary
Milano — Kuznetsov — Mantha
Marcus Johansson — Lars Eller — Aube-Kubel
Joe Snively — Aliaksei Protas — Garnet Hathaway

Gustafsson — Carlson
Orlov — Jensen
Matt Irwin — Van Riemsdyk

Lindgren
Darcy Kuemper

Scratched: N/A

Ottawa

Tkachuk — Derick Brassard — Giroux
DeBrincat — Shane Pinto — Batherson
Tyler Motte — Mark Kastelic — Austin Watson
Parker Kelly — Rourke Chartier — Dylan Gambrell

Chabot — Nikita Zaitsev
Jake Sanderson — Travis Hamonic
Erik Brannstrom — Nick Holden

Talbot
Anton Forsberg

Scratched: D Dillon Heatherington

By Harrison Brown