Flames at Capitals
THE STORY: Calgary Flames captain Jarome Iginla is on the edge of a milestone, but he'd much rather just have a victory. After watching his team take the early lead in each of its last three games, Iginla has seen the Flames quickly go ice cold. As a result, Calgary lost each of those contests to sputter during its season-high seven-game road trip. "We're coming out ready, having a good start, and when (the opponent is) pushing back, we're not handling it," Iginla told the Calgary Herald. "We start panicking, giving the puck away more, and it snowballs. Every game in the last few has been similar." Iginla hopes the snowballs don't douse the Flames on Tuesday when they visit the Washington Capitals. With his next tally, Iginla will become the 42nd player in NHL history to collect 500 goals. The veteran has recorded eight goals and 11 assists in his last 16 games. For its part, Washington won its third in a row after Alex Ovechkin scored twice in a 4-3 triumph over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, RS West (Calgary), CS Washington
ABOUT THE FLAMES (18-17-5): Playing in his 1,000th career NHL game, center Olli Jokinen assisted on Iginla's goal early in the first period on Sunday. Jokinen is playing younger than his 33 years by collecting seven goals and 11 assists in his last 16 contests. Center Brendan Morrison snapped a 12-game drought with his 200th career goal.
ABOUT THE CAPITALS (20-15-2): Both Alexes have been on a tear as of late. Ovechkin, who was named the NHL's Second Star of the Week on Monday, has six goals and three assists during his six-game point streak. Alexander Semin has collected five goals, four assists and a plus-6 rating in his past seven contests. "Our best players have been our best players. It's good to see them start producing like they should," right wing Troy Brouwer said.
OVERTIME:
1. Calgary defenseman Derek Smith is expected to miss 6-to-8 weeks with a high ankle sprain.
2. Washington leads the NHL with seven goals during 4-on-4 situations. The Capitals scored twice during that scenario in their game against the Blue Jackets.