The Washington Capitals will look to make use of home ice Wednesday night.
After suffering a road loss in New York Tuesday night, the Washington Capitals don’t have much time to dwell on the outcome. An important Eastern Conference matchup at Verizon Center against the Boston Bruins is up next.
Despite the loss on Tuesday, the Capitals are still one of the hottest teams in the NHL. They enter Wednesday having won 13 of their last 16 games.
Offense has been the name of the game for Washington. The Capitals have been getting scoring from all four lines and have scored at least four goals in eight of their last 11 games. Alexander Ovechkin leads the team with 24 goals and has 18 points in his last 11 games.
For as good as the Washington offense has been, the defense has been even better. The Caps are still tops in the NHL when it comes to goals against. Braden Holtby is once again playing as one of the best goalies in the league. Holtby was given the night off Tuesday, so expect to see him between the pipes against the Bruins.
Boston, like Washington, enters Tuesday after having played Monday night. However, unlike the Caps, the Bruins came out victorious against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Bruins have struggled to score the puck this season, but are currently in the top-10 in goals allowed.
Washington and Boston have met just one time this season — a 4-3 shootout win by the Capitals at Verizon Center. The Caps jumped out to a three-goal lead in that one, but nearly lost it when Boston stormed back for three unanswered goals.
Next: Washington Capitals Player of the Month: January
The Capitals currently have 72 total points and sit atop the Eastern Conference and the entire NHL.