Maple Leafs at Capitals
Alex Ovechkin bids to reach the 40-goal plateau for the ninth time in 13 seasons on Saturday night as the Washington Capitals host the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2018 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Md. With a tally, Ovechkin would join Wayne Gretzky (12), Marcel Dionne (10), Mario Lemieux (10), Mike Bossy (nine) and Mike Gartner (nine) as the lone members of that prestigious club.
"I'm not at that age where I have to focus on my milestones," the 32-year-old Ovechkin said. "I just have to focus on my game. And if I play my game it'll come." Ovechkin resides a hat trick away from 600 goals, although one of his three this season and franchise-best 20 career was recorded in the Capitals' 4-2 triumph in Toronto on Nov. 25. The Metropolitan Division-leading Capitals limp into March after posting a 6-6-2 mark in February and face a Maple Leafs club that had won 13 of 15 before dropping back-to-back post-regulation losses to begin a four-game road trip. In addition to battling one another, both clubs will need to address weather conditions that could feature winds of 15-20 miles per hour and gusts as high as 32 mph for Saturday's tilt.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBC, CBC, Sportsnet East, Sportsnet Ontario, Sportsnet Pacific (Toronto), TVAS
ABOUT THE MAPLE LEAFS (39-20-7): Frederik Andersen turned aside all 30 shots he faced in Toronto's 2-0 triumph over Washington on Oct. 17, and that intensity remains on display with a 7-1-1 mark in his last nine starts overall. "I think it's clear that we have a talented group, a good group, we work," the 28-year-old Dane said. "When we outwork other teams, that's when the skill really shows. We can dominate teams, especially on the offensive side." Mitch Marner, who leads the team in assists (36) and points (53), recorded three goals and four assists in a three-game stretch before being held off the scoresheet in Tuesday's 3-2 overtime loss at Florida.
ABOUT THE CAPITALS (36-21-7): While Andersen has been sizzling, Braden Holtby has been fizzling as the 2016 Vezina Trophy recipient is mired in a career-worst six-game winless skid (0-4-2) with a 5.20 goals-against average and .851 save percentage. Although he has been pulled twice in that stretch, the 28-year-old told reporters on Friday that he's planning to get back to basics for the Stadium Series tilt. "It will be an opportunity to really just prepare, clear your head and play," Holtby said. "There will be a lot more things going on that you can just focus on you and just play."
OVERTIME
1. Capitals RW T.J. Oshie, who is expected to play in his 650th career game on Saturday, had three assists in the most recent meeting with the Maple Leafs.
2. Both teams will be looking to improve to 3-0-0 in outdoor games. Toronto posted wins in the 2014 Winter Classic and 2017 Centennial Classic while Washington has skated to victories in the 2011 and 2015 Winter Classics.
3. Members of the United States Olympic gold medal-winning women's hockey team will be honored during the second intermission of Saturday's game.