Jets at Capitals
The race for the NHL goal-scoring lead collides in Washington on Monday when the scorching-hot Patrik Laine and the Winnipeg Jets visit Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals. Ovechkin and Laine are tied at the top of the league with 40 goals each as Ovechkin reached that mark for the ninth time in his 13 seasons while the 19-year-old Laine has scored 15 goals during his current 11-game point streak in his second season.
Laine scored the only goal Saturday in a 2-1 loss at Philadelphia that dropped Winnipeg seven points behind Nashville in the Central Division. “Now I’m not happy because we lost,” Laine told reporters after scoring his ninth goal in his past five games. “Maybe (Sunday) I’ll be happier.” The Capitals fell one point behind Pittsburgh for first place in the Metropolitan Division when the Penguins defeated Dallas 3-1 on Sunday night, answering Washington's 2-0 victory at San Jose on Saturday as Ovechkin was held without a goal to remain two shy of 600 for his career. “We have to have that playoff mode going forward here,” Washington coach Barry Trotz told the media.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, TVA, TSN3 (Winnipeg), NBCS Washington
ABOUT THE JETS (41-18-9): Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck kept the Jets in Saturday’s game, making 33 saves in suffering just his third loss in his past 10 starts. Center Blake Wheeler began Sunday tied for the league lead in assists with 58 - 14 coming in his past 14 games. Saturday marked just the 13th time the Jets - who are fourth in the NHL in goals per game at 3.31 - have been limited to one goal or fewer.
ABOUT THE CAPITALS (38-23-7): Washington shook off back-to-back losses to Anaheim and Los Angeles in the first two games of a West Coast road swing, getting 24 saves Saturday from Philipp Grubauer for his second shutout of the season. Ovechkin has just one goal and no assists in his past five contests, but did finish with a team-high six shots Saturday. The Capitals are sixth in the NHL in power-play percentage (21.8 percent), but are 0-for-6 in their past three games.
OVERTIME
1. Capitals G Braden Holtby owns just one win in his past eight appearances and has been pulled from two of his last three starts.
2. The Jets may elect to start backup G Michael Hutchinson against Washington since Winnipeg faces a critical contest Tuesday in Nashville.
3. Winnipeg won the only matchup between the two teams this season in thrilling fashion on Feb. 13, getting the game-tying goal from C Mark Scheifele with 15 seconds left before D Tyler Myers’ marker won it in overtime.