Devils at Capitals
The Washington Capitals vie for their third victory to complete a four-game homestand on Saturday as they face the Metropolitan Division-rival New Jersey Devils. Captain Alex Ovechkin continued his torrid pace heading into the Olympic break with his NHL-best 40th goal in Washington's 4-2 triumph over Winnipeg on Thursday. The reigning Hart Trophy winner, Ovechkin missed the Capitals' 2-1 loss to New Jersey on Jan. 24 with an upper-body injury.
While Ovechkin has 411 career tallies under his belt, defenseman Jon Merrill recorded his first NHL goal at 2:34 of overtime as New Jersey snapped a two-game losing streak with a 2-1 overtime victory over Edmonton on Friday. "You always dream about that kind of stuff when you’re a little kid," Merrill told the Bergen Record. "I think after 20 games went by and I hadn't scored, those dreams kind of went away a little bit and I just worried about playing. I knew it would come when it came."
TV: 8 p.m. ET, MSG (New Jersey), CSN (Washington)
ABOUT THE DEVILS (24-21-13): Veteran Jaromir Jagr notched the 1,039th assist of his career, putting him one behind Hall-of-Famer Marcel Dionne for ninth place on the all-time list. Cory Schneider has been confirmed to make his sixth straight start on Saturday, leaving veteran Martin Brodeur out in the cold after last playing at Yankee Stadium on Jan. 26. Schneider has yielded three goals just once in his last 14 games after allowing at least that many in his first five December starts.
ABOUT THE CAPITALS (26-23-9): Marcus Johansson will have the opportunity to represent Sweden in the Sochi Games after taking the place of injured Vancouver captain Henrik Sedin. "It's a great feeling. It's awesome. It's a dream coming true," Johansson said. "Playing in the Olympics for your country, it's pretty awesome. ... You feel proud and really excited to be able to experience an Olympics and get a chance to win a gold medal." Johansson will see a familiar face in teammate Nicklas Backstrom on the Swedish team.
OVERTIME
1. New Jersey C Andrei Loktionov made the most of being elevated to the team's top line on Friday by scoring for the first time since Dec. 4.
2. Capitals coach Adam Oates confirmed that Braden Holtby will get the nod as fellow G Michal Neuvirth is dealing with an illness.
3. The Devils have posted a 2-2 mark while playing in four consecutive games decided by overtime.