Blues at Capitals
The St. Louis Blues attempt to extend their point streak to seven games Sunday, when they travel to the nation's capital to take on the Washington Capitals. St. Louis wrapped up a 4-0-1 homestand by posting a 4-2 triumph over Carolina on Saturday. Alex Steen continued his torrid run, registering his league-leading 17th goal and adding an assist to raise his point total to an NHL-best 26.
After Hurricanes captain Eric Staal and Nathan Gerbe scored short-handed goals 57 seconds apart late in the second period to erase a 2-0 deficit, Steen snapped the deadlock at 6:20 of the third. Washington is seeking its third straight victory as it improved to 6-1-1 this month with a 4-3 shootout win at Detroit on Friday. Captain Alex Ovechkin and Michael Latta scored third-period goals to forge a tie and Nicklas Backstrom netted the lone shootout tally, giving the Capitals just their second win in six road games.
TV: 6 p.m. ET, FSN Midwest (St. Louis), CSN (Washington)
ABOUT THE BLUES (13-2-3): Steen enters Sunday with a 13-game point streak during which he has collected 13 goals and five assists. The 29-year-old has recorded a point in all but one of his 18 contests this season and has been held without a goal in only four games. Steen needs seven tallies to match his career high set in 2009-10.
ABOUT THE CAPITALS (11-8-1): Defenseman Tyson Strachan appeared in his first game with Washington on Friday, one day after being recalled from Hershey of the American Hockey League to fill in for the injured Mike Green (lower body). The 29-year-old Strachan made his NHL debut with the Blues in 2008-09 and played in 67 games with St. Louis over three seasons. Ovechkin is second in the league to Steen with 15 goals and has tallied in two straight contests.
OVERTIME
1. The Blues are 4-0-2 in their last six contests and have earned at least one point in 12 of their last 13 games (9-1-3).
2. Latta's goal on Friday was his first in 10 NHL games.
3. St. Louis is tied with San Jose for the fewest amount of regulation losses (two).