Capitals at Senators
THE STORY: Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis hit the nail on the head when he put his team's latest performance into perspective. "Embarrassing effort, right from the start," Leonsis wrote on his blog after Monday's lackluster 5-0 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. If they're looking to avoid their sixth loss in seven outings, the Capitals better up their intensity on Wednesday when they visit Canada's capital city to face the Ottawa Senators. For its part, Ottawa completed a perfect three-game road trip with a decisive 6-0 triumph over the New York Islanders.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, TSN, CSW+
ABOUT THE CAPITALS (29-25-5): A date against the Senators could be a good remedy for what is ailing Washington. The Capitals have won all three meetings thus far this season against Ottawa - and have collected points in 16 of the last 19 contests (13-3-3). For Washington to continue that trend, Alex Ovechkin needs to show up. The captain, who has tallied once during the last five games, scored a goal in the team's 5-3 win over the Senators on Dec. 7.
ABOUT THE SENATORS (31-22-8): Ottawa owner Eugene Melnyk heaped plenty of praise on Erik Karlsson during a recent interview. Hours later, the All-Star defenseman made Melnyk look good for his comments. After the owner said that Karlsson can "go down in history with the great defensemen of all time," the blue-liner collected two goals and two assists versus the Islanders. Jason Spezza, who was the NHL's Third Star of the Week, also tallied twice to extend his current six-game point streak (seven goals, eight assists). Spezza, however, has just one assist in three contests versus Washington this season.
OVERTIME:
1. The Senators' winning streak has them two points removed from the Northeast Division-leading Boston Bruins.
2. Washington G Tomas Vokoun was pulled after yielding two goals in just over five minutes of action on Monday. Vokoun has not fared well versus Ottawa, winning just five of 16 career decisions. For his part, Michael Neuvirth has won all four career starts against the Senators.
3. Ottawa G Craig Anderson has stopped 98 of 100 shots en route to sandwiching a pair of shutouts around a 42-save performance. Anderson, however, has dropped six of 10 career matches versus the Capitals.