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Washington Capitals Travel to Ottawa Looking for Fourth Straight Win

By Barry Leonard Jr.

Jan 23, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Capitals center Lars Eller (20) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against the Carolina Hurricanes in the third period at Verizon Center. The Capitals won 6-1. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 23, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Capitals center Lars Eller (20) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against the Carolina Hurricanes in the third period at Verizon Center. The Capitals won 6-1. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /
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Can the Washington Capitals keep the good vibes going Tuesday night?

The Washington Capitals picked up a home win over Carolina Monday night for their third straight victory and the 12th of their last 13. The Caps currently lead the Eastern Conference and have the most points in the NHL.

Washington will wrap up the first half of the season with two road games before the All-Star break. Up first is a contest in Ottawa against the Senators. The Caps have won both meetings with the Senators so far this season.

First was a 2-1 victory at home on New Year’s Day. Defensemen Taylor Chorney and Karl Alzner scored both Washington goals, while netminder Braden Holtby stopped 23 of the 24 shots he faced.

The next time around was again a defensive battle, as just one goal was scored. Holtby pitched a shutout by making 30 saves. T.J. Oshie scored a goal just over a minute into the game, and that was all that was needed.

Washington has been getting scoring from everywhere recently, including the defensemen and all four lines. 12 Capitals picked up a point in Monday’s game. The Caps are playing as hot as anyone in the entire league.

Several Capitals have scoring streaks that will be on the line Tuesday night. Nicklas Backstrom has points in each of the last 10 games, Alexander Ovechkin has an eight-game points streak, T.J. Oshie has a four-game goal streak,  and Andre Burakovsky is carrying a six-game points streak.

Goalie Braden Holtby was in net Monday night, so expect to see backup Philipp Grubauer against the Senators.

Ottawa enters the game fresh off a 7-6 overtime loss to Columbus Sunday. However, they’ve been hot lately, winning five of the last seven games. The Senators are second in the Atlantic division and are among the upper tier of teams in the Eastern Conference.

Defenseman Erik Karlsson leads the Senators with 38, including 31 assists. Kyle Turris has 16 goals on the year. In the absence of top netminder Craig Anderson, Mike Condon has taken over the starting duties.

Next: Washington Capitals Explode for Six Goals, Defeat Carolina

Tuesday’s meeting between the Caps and the Senators will be the last one of the regular season.

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