NHL Preview: Washington Capitals (17-13-4) at Ottawa Senators (14-16-2)

WASHINGTON CAPITALS NOTES:

LAST GAME
Washington 4, Detroit Red Wings 3 (OT)
December 19, 2022 * Capital One Arena * Washington, D.C.
Shots: WSH: 42; DET: 19
Power Plays: WSH: 0/3; DET: 1/3
Three Stars: 1. Dowd (WSH), 2. Orlov (WSH), 3. Gustafsson (WSH)

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
Loaned defenseman Lucas Johansen to AHL Hershey, 12/19
Loaned goaltenders Zach Fucale and Hunter Shepard to AHL Hershey, 12/19
Recalled goaltender Zach Fucale from AHL Hershey, 12/17

INJURIES/ILLNESSES
Nicklas Backstrom: 10/12-12/19 (34 games)
Carl Hagelin: 10/12-12/19 (34 games)
Tom Wilson: 10/12-12/19 (34 games)
Connor Brown: 10/20/22-12/19/22 (30 games)
Beck Malenstyn: 11/3/22-12/19/22 (23 games)
Martin Fehervary: 12/5/22-12/19/22 (8 games)
Alex Alexeyev: 12/11/22-12/19/22 (5 games)
T.J. Oshie: 10/31/22-11/19/22, 12/19/22 (12 games)
Darcy Kuemper: 12/5/22-12/17/22 (7 games)
Nic Dowd: 12/17/22 (1 game)
Hunter Shepard: 12/17/22 (1 game)
Sonny Milano: 12/15/22 (1 game)
Dmitry Orlov: 11/7/22-12/9/22 (16 games)
John Carlson: 10/31/22-11/9/22 (6 games)
Erik Gustafsson: 12/11/22 (1 game)
Lars Eller: 12/13/22 (1 game)
Man Games Lost: 214

UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Dec. 23, 7 p.m. ET vs. Winnipeg (NBCSW, 106.7 The Fan/Caps Radio 24/7)
Dec. 27, 7 p.m. ET at New York Rangers (NBCSW+, 106.7 The Fan/Caps Radio 24/7)
Dec. 29, 7 p.m. ET vs. Ottawa (NBCSW, 106.7 The Fan/Caps Radio 24/7)
Dec. 31, 4 p.m. ET vs. Montreal (NBCSW, 106.7 The Fan/Caps Radio 24/7)
Jan. 3, 7 p.m. ET vs. Buffalo (NBCSW+, 106.7 The Fan/Caps Radio 24/7)

TONIGHT’S GAME
The Capitals visit the Ottawa Senators on Thursday at Canadian Tire Centre for the second of three meetings between the teams this season. Washington is 54-38-5-5 all-time vs. Ottawa and 17-3-1 in their last 21 games against the Senators dating back to the 2014-15 season. In addition, the Capitals have won five of their last six games at Ottawa and have a record of 8-2-1 in their last 11 games at Canadian Tire Centre. Alex Ovechkin has recorded 56 points (35g, 21a) in 52 career games against Ottawa, including five points (5g, 1a) in three games last season. In six career games against the Senators, goaltender Darcy Kuemper has a record of 5-2-0 with a 2.68 goals-against average and .916 save percentage.

AWAY vs. OTTAWA SENATORS
Record Goals For Goals Against Streak
23-24-1-3 148 171 1 OTT win (10/20/22)

CAPITALS vs. SENATORS ALL-TIME (CAREER TOTALS)
Games Goals Assists Points
Ovechkin (52) Ovechkin (35) Backstrom (28) Ovechkin (56)
Backstrom (44) Oshie (13) Ovechkin (21) Backstrom (40)
Eller (43) Backstrom (12) Carlson (13) Carlson/Oshie (20)

POINT STREAKS
Erik Gustafsson – 2 game point streak (4g, 1a), 2 game goal streak (4g)
Nick Jensen – 2 game point streak (2a), 2 game assist streak (2a)

TOP CAPS FACTS
The Great 800

• Alex Ovechkin scored his 18th, 19th and 20th goals of the season on Dec. 13 at Chicago to become the third player in NHL history to reach the 800-goal mark, joining Hall of Famers Gordie Howe (801) and Wayne Gretzky (894).
• Ovechkin, 37, reached the 800-goal mark in his 1,305th career game, the second-fewest games required to reach the milestone in NHL history (Gretzky: 1,116 GP). Howe scored his 800th career goal in his 1,748th career game at the age of 51.
• Ovechkin went from 700 to 800 goals in 162 games, the fewest games required to make that leap for any member of the 800-goal club (Gretzky: 231 GP; Howe: 256 GP). It is tied for the third-fewest games Ovechkin has required to go from one 100-goal milestone to another in his career (100 to 200 goals: 130 GP; 600 to 700 goals: 155 GP; 300 to 400 goals: 162 GP).
• Ovechkin’s 100 goals in 162 games since scoring his 700th career goal on Feb. 22, 2020, equates to a 0.62 goals-per-game average, slightly higher than his overall career average (0.61 G/GP). Gretzky’s goals-per-game rate from goal 700 to 800 was 0.44, while Howe’s was 0.39.
• Ovechkin is now two goals shy of passing Howe (801) for second on the NHL’s all-time goals list.
• Ovechkin has averaged 0.61 goals-per-game during his 18-year career, the seventh-highest rate in NHL history among players with at least 200 goals. Howe averaged 0.45 goals-per-game during his career, while Gretzky averaged 0.60.
• Since turning 35-years-old on Sept. 17, 2020, Ovechkin has nearly maintained his career goals per game average, scoring 94 goals in 156 games played (0.60 G/GP). That marks the highest rate among players following their 35th birthday in NHL history.
• Ovechkin scored his 787th career goal on Nov. 5 versus Arizona, passing Howe (786) for the most goals with one franchise in NHL history and scored his 122nd career game-winning goal on Oct. 24 at New Jersey to pass Howe for the second-most game-winning goals.
• Ovechkin, who has scored 20 goals in 34 games this season, recorded his 29th career hat trick against Chicago to reach the 800-goal mark, passing Marcel Dionne and Bobby Hull (28) for the sixth most hat tricks in NHL history.
• Ovechkin has reached the 20-goal mark in each of his 18 NHL seasons and his 18 20-goal seasons are the sixth-most in NHL history. Ovechkin is on pace to score 48 goals this season. Should Ovechkin reach the 50-goal mark, it would mark his 10th career 50-goal season, passing Gretzky and Mike Bossy (9) for the most in NHL history. In addition, Ovechkin would pass Gretzky (12) for the most 40-goal seasons in NHL history and tie Mike Gartner (17) for the most 30-goal seasons in NHL history.
  Additional information from NHL Stats: “The Road to 800” / #NHLStats Pack

Star-Studded

• Ovechkin was named the NHL’s First Star for the week ending Dec. 18. It marks the 20th time in Ovechkin’s career that he has earned First Star/Player of the Week honors (s/t Ben Sumner).
• Capitals goaltender Charlie Lindgren was named the NHL’s First Star for the week ending Dec. 11, becoming the 10th different Capitals goaltender to earn the honor and the first since Braden Holtby in 2011 (for the week ending March 14). It’s the first time in franchise history that the Capitals have had players named First Star/Player of the Week in consecutive weeks (s/t Mike Vogel)

Shooters Shoot

• Ovechkin enters Thursday’s game five shots shy of passing Ray Bourque (6,209) for the most shots in NHL history.
• Ovechkin has averaged 4.74 shots per game in his career, while Bourque averaged 3.85 (6,209 shots in 1,612 career games).
• Since entering the NHL in 2005-06, Ovechkin leads the League in shots, holding a 2,392-shot lead over the next-closest player (Eric Staal: 3,813 shots).
• Ovechkin has a career shooting percentage of 12.9 percent, the fourth-highest percentage in the NHL since 2005-06 (min. 3,000 shots).

No Dowd About It

• Nic Dowd recorded three points (2g, 1a) in Washington’s 4-3 overtime win over the Detroit Red Wings on Monday, including two goals 11 seconds apart in the second period to erase a two-goal deficit.
• Dowd’s back-to-back goals marked the second-fastest back-to-back goals scored by one player in franchise history (Stephen Leach: 10 seconds, Nov. 23, 1990 vs. Pittsburgh).
• Dowd, who also assisted on Dmitry Orlov’s game-winning goal in overtime, recorded three points in a game for the third time in his career.
• Dowd has recorded 13 points (7g, 6a) in 33 games this season. Dowd, who set a career high in points (24) last season, is on pace to record a career-high 17 goals and 31 points this season.
• Dowd ranks first among Capitals forwards in shorthanded time on ice per game (2:12) and fourth on the team in hits (74).
• Dowd ranks tied for first on Washington and tied for 12th in the NHL in penalties drawn (15).

Gus Bus

• Erik Gustafsson recorded two points (1g, 1a) on Monday vs. Detroit, his second-straight multi-point game.
• Gustafsson recorded his first career hat trick on Dec. 17 vs. Toronto. Gustafsson became the third defenseman in franchise history to score a hat trick, joining Kevin Hatcher (Jan. 13, 1993) and Sergei Gonchar (Jan. 4, 2000).
• With his goal on Monday, Gustafsson became the fourth defenseman in franchise history with four goals over a two-game span during the regular season, joining Mike Green (4-1—5 in 2 GP from Feb. 7-11, 2009), Sergei Gonchar (4-1—5 in 2 GP from Jan. 4-6, 2000) and Kevin Hatcher (4-1—5 in 2 GP from Jan. 9-13, 1993) (courtesy of NHL Stats).
• Gustafsson’s three-goal game was the 147th regular season hat trick in franchise history and the second hat trick by a Capitals player in a three-game span, following Alex Ovechkin’s three-goal performance on Dec. 13 at Chicago. It’s the 15th time in franchise history that the Capitals have recorded multiple hat tricks over a three-game span (per NHL Stats).
• Gustafsson is one of two defensemen to record a hat trick this season (San Jose’s Erik Karlsson: Nov. 1 vs. Anaheim).

OT Orly

• Dmitry Orlov scored the game-winning goal in overtime on Monday vs. Detroit, marking his fourth career overtime goal.
• With the goal, Orlov passed Al Iafrate (58) for the ninth-most goals by a defenseman in franchise history.
• It also marked Orlov’s 15th career game-winning goal, passing Scott Stevens and Sylvain Cote for the sixth most in franchise history among defensemen.
• Since the start of the 2019-20 season, Orlov leads the Capitals in overtime goals (4).
• Orlov has recorded four points (2g, 2a) since returning to the Capitals’ lineup on Dec. 11 at Winnipeg.
• Orlov, who missed 16 consecutive games due to injury prior to his return, has averaged 23:01 of ice time in Washington’s last five games, the second-highest average on the team (John Carlson: 23:47). In addition, Orlov leads the Capitals in ice time at five-on-five (101:27) since his return.

O From D

• Capitals defensemen have combined for 21 goals this season, which is tied for the second-highest total in the NHL (New York Islanders: 23, Florida Panthers: 21).
• Washington defensemen have also combined for 72 (21g, 51a) of the team’s 282 points (25.5%), which is the ninth-highest percentage in the NHL.

Turning a Corner

• The Capitals have won seven of their last eight games and have earned at least one point in 11 of their last 14 games (10-3-1), dating back to Nov. 23.
• The Capitals have earned 21 points (.750 point percentage) since Nov. 23, tied for the second-most in the NHL during that stretch, through games played Dec. 20.
• Since Nov. 23, the Capitals rank tied for first in the NHL in wins (10), fourth in goals against per game (2.29), sixth in penalty kill percentage (83.3%), tied for eighth in goals for per game (3.50) and 11th in power play percentage (25.6%).
• The Capitals have allowed two or fewer goals in six of their last eight games, dating back to Dec. 5. The Capitals have allowed 2.00 goals against per game in that span.
• The Capitals have outscored opponents 21-11 at five-on-five since Dec. 5.
• With their win Monday over Detroit, Washington improved to 10-5-1 at home.

Terrific Tandem

• Over his last eight starts, Charlie Lindgren is 7-1-0 with a 2.00 goals-against average and a .930 save percentage.
• Lindgren has started the Capitals’ last eight games. It marks the second time in Lindgren’s career that he has started eight consecutive games (eight-straight starts from Nov. 5 – Nov. 21, 2017, with Montreal).
• Lindgren won five-straight games from Dec. 5 – Dec. 13, which tied for the longest win streak of his NHL career. Last season with the St. Louis Blues, Lindgren won five-straight games from Dec. 5 – Dec. 17, 2021, going 5-0-0 with a 1.22 goals-against average and a .958 save percentage.
• This season, Lindgren has a record of 9-4-2 with a 2.71 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage. The Capitals have earned at least one point in 11 of the 14 games Lindgren has started (9-3-2). Among goaltenders with 14 or fewer starts this season, Lindgren ranks tied for second in the NHL in wins.
• Darcy Kuemper, who missed seven-straight games due to injury from Dec. 5 – Dec. 17, returned to the active roster on Dec. 19.
• Kuemper posted a record of 3-0-1 with a 1.73 goals-against average, a .942 save percentage and one shutout in his five most recent starts (Nov. 23 – Dec. 3), prior to his injury on Dec. 3 at Calgary.

Special Teams

• The Capitals have killed off 68 of 82 power plays (82.9 percent) over their last 29 games, dating back to Oct. 22. During that span, Washington’s 82.9 penalty kill percentage ranks third in the NHL.
• Through games played Dec. 20, the Capitals’ 80.2 penalty kill percentage ranks tied for 11th in the NHL.
• On average, the Washington is shorthanded 2.82 times per game, which is the fourth-lowest rate in the NHL.
• Since Nov. 23, the Capitals have scored 10 power play goals on 39 opportunities (25.6 percent). During that span, Washington’s 25.6 power play percentage ranks 11th in the NHL.
• The Capitals went seven-straight games with a power play goal from Dec. 1 – December 13, which marked Washington’s longest stretch of consecutive games with at least one power play goal since the 2009-10 season (seven-straight games: March 6 – March 18, 2010).
• The Capitals have had 113 power play opportunities this season, which are the ninth most in the NHL.
• Washington has drawn 141 penalties this season – tied for the sixth most in the NHL – and their +22 net penalty differential ranks tied for first in the NHL.

Kuz Control

• Evgeny Kuznetsov has recorded nine points (1g, 8a) in his last nine games.
• With an assist on Dec. 13 at Chicago, Kuznetsov passed Calle Johansson (361) for the seventh-most assists in franchise history. Kuznetsov passed Bengt Gustafsson (359) for the eighth-most assists in franchise history on Dec. 7 at Philadelphia.
• Kuznetsov leads the Capitals with 21 assists in 33 games this season.
• Kuznetsov is on pace for 52 assists this season. Should he maintain his scoring pace, it would mark Kuznetsov’s fifth career 50-assist season.
• Among Washington’s top-10 assists leaders all-time, Kuznetsov’s 0.58 assists per game rate ranks second, trailing only Nicklas Backstrom (0.71 A/GP).
• Since entering the NHL during the 2013-14 season, Kuznetsov has recorded 1.53 assists per 60 minutes at five-on-five. That’s tied for the fourth-highest rate in the NHL among players with at least 200 five-on-five assists during that span (Connor McDavid: 1.77; Artemi Panarin: 1.69; Ryan Getzlaf: 1.54; Nikita Kucherov: 1.53).

Shot Advantage

• The Capitals recorded 42 shots on Monday vs. Detroit, marking their fifth game this season with 40 or more shots.
• Washington allowed just 19 shots on Monday, marking the lowest single-game shot total by a Capitals’ opponent this season. The Capitals’ +23 shot differential against the Red Wings also marked their highest shot differential in a single game this season.
• Over their last eight games, the Capitals are averaging 37.1 shots for per game and allowing 28.4 shots against.
• Since Dec. 5, Washington has recorded a 53.5 shot attempt percentage at five-on-five (408 shot attempts for, 355 shot attempts against), the seventh-highest rate in the NHL during that span.

Did You Know?

• The Capitals are 17-1-1 when scoring three or more goals this season.
• Washington’s 861 hits this season are the seventh most in the NHL, through games played Dec. 20.
• The Capitals rank seventh in the NHL in blocked shots (523), through games played Dec. 20.
• Since Nov. 1, the Capitals have won 51.8 percent of their faceoffs, which is the 10th-highest win percentage in the NHL during that span.

OTTAWA SENATORS NOTES:

LAST GAME: Dec. 20, 5-1 loss at Winnipeg: The Jets received two goals and one assist from Connor to extend his point streak to 10 consecutive games and help Winnipeg to a 5-1 victory over Ottawa at Canada Life Centre. Morrissey also extended his point streak to 10 consecutive contests (the longest run by a defenceman in Thrashers/Jets franchise history) in registering two points (one goal, one assist) to become the fifth defender since 1986-87 to provide at least one assist in 10 straight games. The home side saw multi-assist games from DeMelo, Dubois and Johnsson-Fjallby while Stenlund and Gagner provided additional markers for Winnipeg. Batherson found the back of the net for Ottawa on the power-play with what was his team-high eighth extra man goal of the season while DeBrincat earned an assist in what was his 400th career game, joining Motte who skated in his 300th career contest for the visitors. Rittich recorded the win for Winnipeg with 35 saves while Talbot took the loss for Ottawa in turning aside 19 shots. Scratches: Heatherington, Lucchini; Injuries: Bernard-Docker, Joseph, Norris, Stützle, Zub; Shots: OTT – 36, WPG – 24; PP: OTT – 1-2, WPG – 0-1.

BROADCAST INFORMATION: This evening’s game against Washington will be broadcast regionally on TSN5 and RDS. On the radio, the game will be available locally via TSN 1200 (English) and 94,5 Unique-FM (French).

WHAT’S NEXT: Ottawa continues a three-game homestand against Detroit tomorrow at 7 p.m. The contest will mark the second of four regular-season meetings and the first of two matchups at Canadian Tire Centre.

INJURY REPORT: D Bernard-Docker, RW Joseph, C Norris, C Stützle and D Zub are on IR and will not oppose the Capitals this evening. Total man-games lost: 90.

RECENT TRANSACTIONS: Re-assigned F Lucchini to Belleville (AHL) on Dec. 21.

OTTAWA vs. WASHINGTON – History:
2022-23 (1-0-0): Oct. 20 @ Ottawa (5-2 win), Dec. 22 @ Ottawa, Dec. 29 @ Washington
2021-22 (1-1-1): 10/25/21 @ Ottawa (7-5 loss), 1/22/22 @ Washington (3-2 OT loss), 2/13/22 @ Washington (4-1 win)
Series record: Overall: 43-48-5-6; Home: 27-21-1-2; Away: 16-27-4-4
Last Ottawa win: @ Ottawa: Oct. 20 (5-2); @ Washington: 2/13/22 (4-1)
Last Washington win: @ Ottawa: 10/25/21 (7-5); @ Washington: 1/22/22 (3-2 OT)
Last OT result: 1/22/22 (3-2 OT loss) @ Washington
Last shootout: 10/5/17 (5-4 SO loss) @ Ottawa
Most goals, game: Scored: 11, (11/13/01, 11-5 win); Allowed: 11, (12/17/93, 11-2 loss); Both teams: 16, (11/13/01, 11-5 win)
Last Game: Oct. 20, 5-2 win @ Ottawa; OTT Goals: Batherson (x2), Pinto, Motte, DeBrincat; WSH Goals: Oshie, Mantha; OTT
Scratches: Gambrell, Zaitsev; OTT Injuries: Talbot; OTT Goalie: Forsberg; WSH Goalie: Kuemper; OTT PP: 2-4; WSH PP: 2-4; Shots: 44-24.
Career vs. Washington: Giroux leads all players in career games played (57), in goals (24), in assists (28) and in points (52); Tkachuk leads in penalty minutes (33) against Washington.

SWEATER WEATHER: The Senators enter their third season of wearing a primary logo which sees the organization return to its roots with the implementation of the modified original “2D” logo. The team has earned a 68-81-13 all-time record (13-14-2 this season) while wearing its current sweater. Ottawa unveiled their Reverse Retro jersey on Oct. 20 and will wear the sweater on five occasions in 2022-23 (1-1-0 this season). The Senators hold an all-time record of 113-76-7-25 when wearing an alternate; 27-19-2-5 when wearing a red alternate, 85-56-5-19 when wearing a black alternate and 1-1-0-1 when wearing a cream alternate.

HOME ON THE RANGE: Ottawa has a record of 8-8-0 at home this season … Claude Giroux is the Senators leader with eight goals at home while Alex DeBrincat and Tim Stützle maintain the club lead with 13 assists at Canadian Tire Centre … Through 16 home games, Stützle leads the team with 19 points on home ice … The Senators earned a record of 15-22-4 at home through 41 home contests in 2021-22.

ROAD SCHOLARS: The Senators have a record of 6-8-2 on the road this season … Giroux and Tkachuk lead with six goals on the road this season while Tkachuk ranks first with 12 assists while the Senators serve as visitors … Through 16 road games this season, Tkachuk maintains the club lead with 18 points … The Senators registered an 18-20-3 record over 41 road contests in 2021-22.

FRANCHISE RECORD: Ottawa has posted an all-time record of 1,018-998-115-178 over 2,309 games … The Senators are 556-443- 60-97 through 1,156 all-time home games and 462-555-55-81 through 1,153 all-time road games.

BACK-TO-BACK GAMES: Ottawa will play back-to-back games on 12 occasions in 2022-23 and will open their third set of the season this evening when Washington comes to Canadian Tire Centre before hosting Detroit tomorrow evening … The Senators played 17 back-to-back sets last season and earned a record of 6-9-2 in the first half of contests on consecutive nights (2-0-0 this season) while posting an 8-8-1 record (1-1-0 this season) in the second half of games on consecutive days.

ON THE POWER PLAY: The Senators are 35 for 123 (28.5%) on the power-play in 2022-23 … Drake Batherson leads with eight power-play goals while DeBrincat maintains the club lead with 19 points while the team enjoys a man advantage … Ottawa has recorded multiple power-play goals 10 times in an individual contest in 2022-23 after having done so 11 times in 2021-22.

ON THE PENALTY KILL: Ottawa has overcome 94 of the 117 occasions the team has been shorthanded in 2022-23 to maintain an efficiency of 80.3% through 32 regular-season games … The team has registered two (Joseph, Motte) shorthanded markers this season after recording nine such goals in 2021-22.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES
COACH SMITH: D.J. Smith was introduced as the Senators’ 14th head coach in franchise history on 5/23/19. A native of Windsor, Ont., Smith spent the four previous NHL seasons as an assistant coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Prior to joining the Maple Leafs (which was also the team for which he made his NHL playing debut in 1996-97), Smith guided the Ontario Hockey League’s Oshawa Generals to a record of 135-53-3-13 over three campaigns which included his having been recognized as the OHL’s Coach of the Year in 2013- 14. One year later, he helped the team capture the Mastercard Memorial Cup. His 95 head coaching victories with Ottawa see him rank in a tie for fourth in franchise history.

SECOND SEASON AS CAPTAIN FOR CHUCKY: Two-time NHL All-Star Brady Tkachuk was appointed the 10th captain in Senators franchise history on 11/5/21. A native of St. Louis, Tkachuk succeeded Erik Karlsson who served in the role for four seasons from 2014- 15 to 2017-18. The bronze medal winner with Team U.S.A. at the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship is the first American-born skater to serve as team captain. Tkachuk is assisted by full-time alternates Thomas Chabot and Claude Giroux.

ALL-TIME LEADERS: Chris Phillips is the Senators’ all-time leader in games played (1,179) … Daniel Alfredsson leads in goals (426), assists (682) and points (1,108) … Following Phillips is Alfredsson (1,178), Chris Neil (1,026), Wade Redden (838), Radek Bonk (689), Jason Spezza (686) and Mike Fisher (675) … Neil leads in penalty minutes (2,522) while Patrick Lalime holds the lead in shutouts (30) and ranks second (283) to Craig Anderson (435) in games played among goaltenders. Anderson leads in wins (202).