The Washington Capitals will finish off another back-to-back slate when they take on the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena. This is the third matchup between these two Metropolitan Division rivals, with the Capitals taking the first two at Capital One Arena, with a 2-1 win on Nov. 4 and a 4-3 victory on Nov. 18.
The Caps are coming off their second straight win with a 3-2 overtime victory against the New York Islanders on Wednesday. Washington is also 5-0 in the second half of a back-to-back series. Here are the projected lines.
Alex Ovechkin – Dylan Strome – Tom Wilson
Aliaksei Protas – Hendrix Lapierre – Anthony Mantha
Ivan Miroshnichenko – Evgeny Kuznetsov – Matthew Phillips
Beck Malenstyn – Nic Dowd – Nicolas Aube-Kubel
Martin Fehervary – John Carlson
Rasmus Sandin – Trevor van Riemsdyk
Joel Edmundson – Nick Jensen
Charlie Lindgren
Darcy Kuemper
The Capitals recalled Mike Sgarbossa from the Hershey Bears Thursday afternoon. Connor McMichael was a late scratch on Wednesday due to an illness, so it appears the Capitals wanted another center in their arsenal.
Washington has scored three or fewer goals in its last four games. The last two games have been very tight and very limited in terms of offense. But the saying over the course of the season has been “finding ways to win”.
“We may not score the most goals right now or this season so far, but we’re finding ways to win tight games. I think it’s a good look on us when we can win, you know, these 2-1, 3-2, 1-0 type games,” Dylan Strome said after the overtime win against New York. “I know we have a pretty good record if we score over two goals in regulation, so we should probably try to do that a little bit.”
Strome has been Washington’s most consistent player throughout the season. He has stepped up in critical situations, whether it is an overtime winner like last night, or a late goal to tie the game or take the lead. The 2015 third overall pick has a team-leading 13 goals on the campaign.
“He’s been huge. He’s been filling the net but also [scoring] a lot of clutch goals [in] a lot of big moments and that’s what you want out of him,” John Carlson said. “Obviously he’s capable of it and he’s having a great year.”
The Capitals had a defenseman score for the second game in a row. Joel Edmundson scored his first as a Capital in the second period on a laser beam from the point. Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery has been wanting to get more offensive production from the backend, as Edmundson was just the fourth Caps blueliner to score a goal.
“That was awesome. Heavy shot. Just got into the net, good screen in front and he put it in a perfect spot where it’s tough on the goalie,” Trevor van Riemsdyk said postgame. “It’s important to get contributions from up and down the lineup and have that attack be a five-man attack, not just forwards.”
Hendrix Lapierre was one of Washington’s best players on Wednesday. He was called up back on Tuesday, along with rookie forward Ivan Miroshnichenko, and had his second career multipoint game with a goal and an assist.
“I think our young guys are pushing the envelope. And what I mean by that is there’s a mindset to just come into the NHL and just play games, and my time will come,” Carbery said. “You’re seeing right now from [McMichael], Lappy again tonight. Excellent job and there’s some little plays that he did… Like they’re not just happy to be here. They want to make a difference. They want to have a positive impact on the game and help the team win.”
Scouting Columbus
The Blue Jackets (11-17-5) are coming off a dominating 9-4 win over the Buffalo Sabres. Forward Kirill Marchenko scored his second career hat trick against the Sabres and has seven points (five goals, two assists) in his last five games.
Columbus is one of the worst teams defensively, allowing 3.64 goals per game which is the second-most in the NHL. However, the Jackets have the seventh best penalty kill overall at 83.7%.
The Blue Jackets have been without forward Patrik Laine for the last two games due to a fractured clavicle that he sustained on Dec. 14 against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Finnish forward is expected to miss the next six weeks. Laine has just nine points (six goals, three assists) in 18 games. Columbus will also be without forward Jack Roslovic and defenseman Damon Severson.
Player To Watch
Rookie forward Adam Fantilli continues to have an outstanding season. He is second in the NHL with 19 points (nine goals, 10 assists) among rookies and is fourth on the team. The Hobey Baker winner had two points (one goal, one assist) in the win against Buffalo.
Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. at Nationwide Arena. The game can be streamed on Monumental Sports Network.
By Jacob Cheris