Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images
The Washington Capitals and St. Louis Blues will close out their season series for the 2022-23 campaign when the two clash at Capital One Arena on Friday. St. Louis is 5-0-1 in their last six against Washington, including a 5-4 shootout victory in the Gateway City exactly four months ago. Action from Capital One Arena can be seen on NBC Sports Washington in-market or ESPN+ out-of-market.
SCHEDULE
St. Louis: make lone pit stop on the road in a span of five games (0-2-0 so far)
Washington: continue stretch where they play nine of final 13 games at home after Wednesday’s 5-4 shootout win over the Buffalo Sabres
STANDINGS
St. Louis: 15-17-1 on road (3-8-0 in last 11), 20th in NHL; Western Conference Wild Card Standings
Screenshot: NHL.com
Washington: 16-13-4 at home (2-0-1 in the past three), 21st; Eastern Conference Wild Card Standings
Screenshot: NHL.com
HOW EACH TEAM IS DOING
St. Louis: 3-8-2 in last 13 games since three straight wins coming out of NHL All-Star Break
Washington: 5-3-1 in last nine since season-long six-game regulation losing streak
TEAM LEADERS
St. Louis
- RW Jordan Kyrou (30 goals, 64 points)
- C Robert Thomas (44 assists)
- D Justin Faulk (23:29 TOI/game)
Notes: Kyrou, 24, has four goals, eight points over five-game point-streak and five goals, 10 points in last seven; Thomas, 23, has two goals, nine points over six-game point-streak and three goals, 12 points in last nine; Faulk, 30, snapped a three-game scoring drought with an assist in 8-5 loss to Minnesota Wild on Wednesday; C Brayden Schenn has four helpers over four-game assist streak; LW Pavel Buchnevich has 37 assists, 59 points in his last 46, including 11 assists, 18 points over 10-game point-streak; RW Kasperi Kapanen has just one assist in his last five and none in three straight; D Torey Krug has three assists, four points in his last four; Former Washington and 2018 Stanley Cup Champion LW Jakub Vrana has four goals in his last four, including two vs. Minnesota; D Colton Parayko has just two assists, three points in last 11, including just one assist in his last six and none in his last three; LW Sammy Blais has two goals, four points in his last four; D Nick Leddy has just one assist in his last 14, including none in his last seven
Washington
- LW Alex Ovechkin (37 goals, 64 points, 20:16 TOI/game) — TOI/game leader excluding Ds John Carlson, Nick Jensen
- C Evgeny Kuznetsov (39 assists)
Notes: Ovechkin, 37, has five goals, nine points in last eight after five-game scoring drought; Kuznetsov, 30, snapped six-game scoring drought with an assist vs. Buffalo; C Dylan Strome has three goals, 10 points over six-game point-streak; LW Conor Sheary has just one goal, three points in last 27, including one assist in last 17; RW T.J. Oshie has eight goals, 16 points over his last 14, including seven goals, 13 points in last 10 and two goals, five points over four-game point-streak; LW Sonny Milano had four assists over three-game assist-streak, which ended in Washington’s 5-1 win over the New York Islanders on Saturday, and six points in his last seven but has not played last two games (non-COVID-19-related illness); D Rasmus Sandin has one goal, nine points in six games since joining Washington and two goals, 13 points, five multi-point outings in his last nine overall; D Trevor Van Riemsdyk has one goal, five points, +5 rating over four-game point-streak; RW Craig Smith has gone scoreless in six of seven, including five straight, with Washington; RW Tom Wilson snapped a four-game scoring drought with a goal vs. Buffalo; C Nic Dowd has two goals in his last three
KEY TEAM STATS
Goals-per-game: STL – 3.09 (20th) WSH – 3.1 (T-18th)
Goals-against per game: STL – 3.72 (28th) WSH – 2.99 (13th)
Power Play: STL – 21% (T-18th) WSH – 20.8% (T-20th)
Penalty Kill: STL – 76.2% (T-22nd) WSH – 82.7% (5th)
Shots-per-game: STL – 29 (27th) WSH – 31.6 (18th)
Shots-against per game: STL – 32.5 (24th) WSH – 30.4 (10th)
Faceoff-winning %: STL – 49.6% (18th) WSH – 49.8% (17th)
5v5 Corsi-for %: STL – 46.15% (26th) WSH – 50.61% (17th)
5v5 x Goals-For %: STL – 45.12% (27th) WSH – 50.42% (17th)
5v5 SCF %: STL – 46.09% (25th) WSH – 50.11% (19th)
5v5 Shooting %: STL – 9.05% (8th) WSH – 8.56% (17th)
5v5 Save %: STL – .9031 (30th) WSH – .9114 (T-20th)
5v5 PDO: STL – .994 (T-23rd) WSH – .997 (T-19th)
EXPECTED STARTING GOALTENDERS
St. Louis: Thomas Greiss, 37 — 7-9-0, .900 save percentage, 3.50 goals-against average, shutout in 19 games this season; 6-5-1, .924 save percentage, 2.33 goals-against average, shutout in 12 career games vs. Washington, including 47-save performance (.922 save percentage) in November
Washington: Darcy Kuemper, 32 — 20-21-5 (T-18th in wins), .912 save percentage (T-15th in NHL), 2.75 goals-against average (18th), five shutouts (T-1st) in 46 games; 9-5-0, .917 save percentage, 2.44 goals-against average, shutout in 16 career regular-season games vs. St. Louis
🗣 DARCY KUEMPER WITH HIS 30th CAREER @pepsi SHUTOUT ‼️
With tonight’s 27-save performance, Kuemper now leads the league in shutouts on the season with five under his belt. pic.twitter.com/VERa6ZnXAL
— NHL (@NHL) January 20, 2023
INJURIES/ILLNESSES/OTHER ABSENCES
St. Louis
- LW Jake Neighbours (upper-body, expected to miss 12th straight game, out week-to-week)
- G Jordan Binnington (suspended, first of two games)
Washington
- Carlson (upper-body, 34th, indefinite)
- Jensen (undisclosed, first, day-to-day)
- RW Connor Brown (ACL, 64th, indefinite)
- LW Carl Hagelin (hip, 68th, indefinite)
PROJECTED LINEUPS
St. Louis
Alexey Toropchenko — Thomas — Kyrou
Vrana — Buchnevich — Kapanen
Brandon Saad — Schenn — Blais
Nathan Walker — Nikita Alexandrov — Tyler Pitlick
Leddy — Parayko
Marco Scandella — Faulk
Krug — Tyler Tucker
Greiss
Joel Hofer
Scratched: D Calle Rosen, D Robert Bortuzzo, RW Josh Leivo, C Logan Brown
Washington
Ovechkin — Strome — Sheary
Oshie — Kuznetsov — Wilson
Milano — Nicklas Backstrom — Smith
Aliaksei Protas — Nic Dowd — Nicolas Aube-Kubel
Sandin — Van Riemsdyk
Matt Irwin — Gabriel Carlsson
Alexander Alexeyev — Martin Fehevary
Kuemper
Charlie Lindgren
Scratched: LW Anthony Mantha
BETTING ODDS (Per BetMGM)
St. Louis: +145, Washington: -175
Over 6.5: -105, Under 6.5: -115
By Harrison Brown
Being a 50 year Caps fan (me and my brother participated in the naming the team contest, our entry was Comets) its hard to root against them. But I will. The worst possible outcome for this team is to finish out of a playoff spot, but also 13th to 16th, with no chance at first or second overall. Currently we sit 13th worst, but everyone behind us has games in hand. If they all win out, we’d be tied with Detroit for 11th. It could be a franchising altering moment on draft lottery day, May 8, similar to winning the right to pick Ovi. Imagine generational talent Connor Bedard joining his Regina teammate Alex Suzdalev on a line, or we could win the 2nd lottery, and pick up one of two big centers, Swede Leo Carlsson, or NCAA phenom Adam Fantilli, or slick Russian wing Matvei Michkov. Keep good thoughts everyone! We’ve been jobbed so many times in the past, we’re owed this!
We have a better chance of making it than winning the lottery. 3 of our next 4 are against lottery contenders. Let’s see how this goes.
I just can’t tank. I don’t know how to process intentionally losing games. I will certainly say in June “we should have lost the last 20 games”, I know that. But right now I need to beat St. Louis.
I hear ya, brother. It’s hard to kick the winning addiction. But just think of Ovi teaching Bedard how to beat NHL goalies, or Strome and Fantilli down the middle (Fantilli is averaging 2pts/gm as a college freshman). If those scenarios don’t have you salivating, I don’t know what will
Gotta have this one, no excuses!