Capitals at Red Wings
THE STORY: The Washington Capitals are fighting to stay in the final
playoff spot in the Eastern Conference and will continue that battle
Monday when they visit Hockeytown to take on the Red Wings. Detroit is
tied for fourth in the West with division-rival Nashville. This is the
second and final meeting - the host Capitals drubbing the Red Wings 7-1
in October.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, CS Maryland (Capitals), FS Detroit (Red Wings)
ABOUT THE CAPITALS (36-30-6): Washington, which has lost two
straight, holds a two-point lead over the Winnipeg Jets and Buffalo
Sabres. Washington, three games into a season-long five-game road trip,
has fallen five points behind the Southeast Division-leading Florida
Panthers. “We need to come out every single game playing desperate,”
said defenseman Karl Alzner after the Capitals’ 5-2 loss on Sunday in
Chicago.
ABOUT THE RED WINGS (44-24-4): All-Star Pavel
Datsyuk scored in his return to Detroit’s lineup on Saturday but the Red
Wings fell 3-2 in overtime to the San Jose Sharks. It was the fourth
straight road loss for the Red Wings, who slipped to 16-20-2 away from
Joe Louis Arena. As the Red Wings prepare for another playoff push,
winning away from home has become a concern. The power play is also a
problem as Detroit has not scored with the man advantage in its last 30
opportunities. “This is a test to see how tough we are because we’re
struggling right now,” coach Mike Babcock said. The Wings are still
without captain Nicklas Lidstrom, who remains sidelined with a bone
bruise in his right ankle.
OVERTIME:
1. Tomas Holmstrom has gone 25 games without a goal for Detroit.
2.
Johan Franzen, Detroit’s leading goal scorer, missed Saturday’s game
with back spasms, the first time he was out of the lineup this season.
3. Alex Ovechkin, who scored his 30th goal Sunday, has three goals in his last three contests.