Capitals at Kings
The Washington Capitals don't have fond memories of last season's road trip through California, and the first leg of their current journey isn't one for the scrapbook either. After dropping all three games last season and getting blanked in the opener of their current trek, the Capitals will try their luck on Thursday as they visit the Los Angeles Kings.
Washington's euphoria following a dominating effort in the Stadium Series quickly went by the boards against Anaheim, as the poor start didn't get any better as the game went along in a 4-0 setback. Braden Holtby answered ending his six-game winless skid versus Toronto by being pulled for the fourth time in 11 starts on Tuesday as Washington fell for the fourth time in seven outings. The 2016 Vezina Trophy winner may be in for a tall task against a well-rested Kings club that has been idle since Saturday's 5-3 setback versus Chicago. Jonathan Quick turned aside 20 shots in that contest but made 27 saves in a 5-2 win over Washington on Nov. 30 to improve to 8-2-0 in his career against the Capitals.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, Sportsnet, NBCS Washington, FS West (Los Angeles)
ABOUT THE CAPITALS (37-22-7): Evgeny Kuznetsov tormented the Kings by scoring twice in the first encounter and reached the 20-goal plateau for the second time in his career with five tallies in seven outings before getting blanked by the Ducks. Defenseman Dmitry Orlov assisted on Kuznetsov's first goal against Los Angeles and is set to play in his 350th career game on Thursday. Captain Alex Ovechkin was held off the scoresheet in that encounter and has just five of his 598 career goals in 16 meetings with the Kings.
ABOUT THE KINGS (36-25-5): Captain Anze Kopitar has seven points (two goals, five assists) in his past five games to pad his team-leading totals in goals (27), assists (44) and points (71). The 30-year-old Slovene had enjoyed a point-per-game pace in his first 14 encounters (nine goals, five assists) with the Capitals before being held off the scoresheet in the first meeting. Fellow forward Trevor Lewis has practiced throughout the week and could make his return after sitting out 12 games with an upper-body injury.
OVERTIME
1. Los Angeles LW Tanner Pearson and C Alex Iafallo have both scored in back-to-back games.
2. Washington has permitted a power-play goal in five of its last seven contests.
3. The Kings boast a 19-9-1 mark versus Eastern Conference representatives while the Capitals have split 24 meetings against Western foes (12-10-2).