The Washington Capitals (26-22-7) have finally returned home after their six-game, 12-day road trip. They will host the Carolina Hurricanes (33-15-5) at Capital One Arena on Saturday evening.
The puck drops at 5:00 p.m. ET.
The Capitals now head into a final four-game stretch before the NHL goes on Olympic break. Three of those four contests will be played at home.
The road was bumpy for the Capitals on the road trip, as they finished with five out of a possible 12 points (2-3-1). The team is now 10th in the Eastern Conference standings, and eight points out of the second Wild Card.
The last game of the road trip for the Capitals was a thriller in Detroit. They led 3-1 with two minutes left in regulation, only for the Red Wings to tie it up with two goals to force OT.
The game then went to a shootout, which the Capitals had previously struggled in this season. Thankfully, they went 3-for-3 while Detroit only went 2-for-3, leaving with a 4-3 victory.
Nic Dowd was the true MVP of the game, as he scored the Capitals’ first goal and the game-winner in the skills competition. The 35-year-old was also very physical as he finished with six hits.
Meanwhile, Carolina has been in a much better position, going 9-1-2 in its last 12 games. They recently pulled off a late comeback victory over Utah on Thursday night, scoring three goals in the final two minutes. The Hurricanes overcame a 4-2 deficit to win 5-4.
This will be the last of the three meetings between both teams this season. The last time these two met on Dec. 11, the Capitals led both the Metropolitan Division and Eastern Conference. However, Carolina won that game 3-2 in a shootout.
Expected Capitals Lines
Forwards
Connor McMichael – Dylan Strome – Ryan Leonard
Aliaksei Protas – Justin Sourdif – Tom Wilson
Alex Ovechkin – Nic Dowd – Ethen Frank
Brandon Duhaime – Hendrix Lapierre – Anthony Beauvillier
Defensemen
Martin Fehervary – John Carlson
Jakob Chychrun – Trevor van Riemsdyk
Rasmus Sandin – Declan Chisholm
Goalies
Logan Thompson
Clay Stevenson
Expected Hurricanes Lines
Forwards
Andrei Svechnikov – Sebastian Aho – Seth Jarvis
Taylor Hall – Logan Stankoven – Jackson Blake
Nikolaj Ehlers – Jordan Staal – Jordan Martinook
William Carrier – Mark Jankowski – Jesperi Kotkaniemi
Defensemen
Jaccob Slavin – Jalen Chatfield
K’Andre Miller – Sean Walker
Shayne Gostisbehere – Alexander Nikishin
Goalies
Brandon Bussi
Frederik Andersen
How to Watch
TV: Monumental Sports Network
Radio: 106.7 The Fan/Caps Radio Network
