Capitals at Penguins
The Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins have picked up speed in their respective bids to distance themselves from the rest of the teams in the congested Metropolitan Division. The first-place Capitals carry an 8-2-2 mark in their last 12 contests into Friday's tilt versus the Penguins, who have won eight of their last 10 and are attempting to complete a perfect four-game homestand.
Chandler Stephenson doubled his season total in goals after scoring twice in a 47-second span and T.J. Oshie ended a 13-game goal drought on Wednesday as Washington overcame an early two-goal deficit to post a 5-3 victory over Philadelphia. "It's been a while," said the 31-year-old Oshie, who also joined Stephenson in finding the back of the net in the Capitals' 4-1 victory over Pittsburgh on Nov. 10. Sidney Crosby could echo a similar thought on a much smaller scale, as the Penguins' superstar captain has failed in his quest to net his 400th career goal in each of his last six contests. Crosby, however, had an assist in Tuesday's 5-2 win over San Jose to extend his point streak to 10 games (three goals, 17 assists) while fellow former Hart Trophy recipient Evgeni Malkin was named NHL First Star of the Month for January after upping his point total to 23 (14 goals, nine assists) in his past 15 games.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, Sportsnet, TVAS, NBCS Washington, AT&T Sportsnet-Pittsburgh
ABOUT THE CAPITALS (30-15-5): Defenseman John Carlson and Lars Eller each notched two assists versus the Flyers, increasing the former's point total to 13 (four goals, nine assists) in his past 12 games while the latter has eight points (five goals, three assists) in his past nine. Carlson resides at the 40-point plateau for the second time in his career and likely is driving up his asking price as he skates toward unrestricted free agency. The 28-year-old scored and set up a goal in the more recent meeting with Pittsburgh and notched three assists in as many encounters versus the club last season.
ABOUT THE PENGUINS (28-21-3): Conor Sheary's time on the top line has hit a snag as the 25-year-old is now considered week-to-week after sustaining a lower-body injury against the Sharks. "Conor is a really good player, he's not an easy guy to replace," coach Mike Sullivan said following Thursday's practice. "... But certainly we have capable people. We have capable guys that we can plug in that give us an opportunity to continue to win games." Bryan Rust is one such possibility as the 25-year-old has five points (two goals, three assists) in his past four contests, albeit with an 11-game absence due to an upper-body injury included in that stretch.
OVERTIME
1. Washington has allowed the first goal in eight straight games.
2. Pittsburgh F Carter Rowney returned to practice on Thursday after missing the last 11 contests with an upper-body injury.
3. The Capitals are 6-for-15 on the power play in the last four outings after going 1-for-14 in the previous four.