Capitals at Coyotes
Alex Ovechkin recorded arguably the signature goal of his decorated NHL career after scoring while sliding on the ice against the then-Phoenix Coyotes during his rookie season. Ovechkin would love to enjoy another memorable moment at the Arizona Coyotes' expense on Saturday when the Washington Capitals pay a visit to Gila River Arena in Glendale, Ariz.
Although Ovechkin was held in check for the third straight game to remain two goals shy of becoming the eighth member of the NHL's 700-goal club, Washington erased a two-goal deficit in a 3-2 victory at Colorado on Thursday. "To pull out a win coming from behind is a big win for our team to start this road trip," coach Todd Reirden said after the Capitals recorded their league-best 21st road victory and fourth straight away from home. The Coyotes have cooled off considerably since resting atop the Pacific Division last month, falling for the 12th time in their last 15 contests (3-8-4) following a 3-2 setback to Ottawa on Thursday. "There should be no excuses, we're coming down the final stretch where every point's a big point and we just didn't have (urgency) from the drop of the puck and that's on us," Arizona forward Lawson Crouse said. "We take responsibility for it, we've got to step it up in this locker room, we have the guys to do the job and we've just got to go out there and do it."
TIME: 10 p.m. ET. TV: NBCS Washington, FS Arizona, FS Arizona-Plus
ABOUT THE CAPITALS (37-15-5): Defenseman John Carlson continued to improve his case for the Norris Trophy by setting up a pair of goals versus Colorado to mark his 15th multi-assist performance and 23rd multi-point game of the season. The 30-year-old, who leads the team in assists (54) and points (69), is now three points shy of passing Calle Johansson (474) for the most by a defenseman in franchise history. T.J. Oshie scored the game-winning goal against the Avalanche to cap his fourth multi-point performance in his last six games.
ABOUT THE COYOTES (28-24-8): Although Arizona's upcoming five-game schedule features a host of heavy hitters, captain Oliver Ekman-Larsson insists that the young Coyotes need to address each opponent individually as they cling to the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference. "We can't look too far ahead," the 28-year-old Swede said. "We've got to look at the next one here on Saturday, I believe. On Saturday, we've got to get some wins together at home and play better and go from there." Conor Garland, who leads the team in goals (19), scored in the extra session as the Coyotes overcame squandering a three-goal lead in a 4-3 shootout victory over Washington on Nov. 11.
OVERTIME
1. Arizona C Nick Schmaltz, who leads the team in assists (32) and points (40), has just four and five, respectively, over his last 16 games.
2. Washington C Nicklas Backstrom has one goal and four assists during his four-game point streak.
3. Coyotes G Antti Raanta has split 12 decisions at home (6-5-1) despite sporting a 2.23 goals-against average.