Oilers at Capitals
Coach Barry Trotz wasted little time throwing down the gauntlet as the Washington Capitals attempt to prevent a three-game skid when they host the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday. "It's imperative that we get (Tuesday's game)," Trotz said. "We have to be hungry. We have to get that game. To me, it's almost like a (must-win) game." Tough talk considering the Capitals cruised to a 14-1-4 record in their previous 19 contests before suffering a 4-3 setback to Trotz's former club in Nashville on Friday and a 5-4 loss in Dallas the following night.
Washington looks to extend its home winning streak to eight games against a club that halted its franchise-record 14-game road slide on Saturday. Former Capital Matt Hendricks scored the tying goal before Nail Yakupov netted the lone tally in the shootout as the Oilers won 3-2 over Florida to post their first victory away from Rexall Place since Nov. 9. Edmonton improved to 3-12-7 on the road but has dropped eight of its last nine visits to the U.S. capital.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, RSN West (Edmonton), CSN-DC (Washington)
ABOUT THE OILERS (11-26-9): Jordan Eberle also scored on Saturday, netting his sixth goal in nine contests after tallying just six times in the previous 36. All-Star Ryan Nugent-Hopkins trails Eberle by one goal for the team lead but hasn't tallied since Dec. 30. The No. 1 overall pick of the 2011 draft, Nugent-Hopkins did score in Edmonton's 3-2 victory over Washington on Oct. 22.
ABOUT THE CAPITALS (24-13-8): Captain Alex Ovechkin has scored three goals and set up another in his last two overall games and traditionally has torched Edmonton, collecting seven tallies and five assists in nine meetings. Nicklas Backstrom recorded his second straight two-point performance and needs one assist to reach 400 for his career. Braden Holtby received a rest after starting a career-high 21 games in a row and appearing in a franchise-best 27 straight but is expected to get the nod on Tuesday.
OVERTIME
1. Washington has scored seven power-play goals in nine games this month and went 1-for-2 with the man advantage in the first meeting versus Edmonton.
2. Oilers C Boyd Gordon, who was the Capitals' first-round selection in the 2002 draft, recorded his 100th career assist on Saturday for his first point since Dec. 18.
3. Trotz coached current Edmonton interim bench boss Todd Nelson during his playing career with Portland of the American Hockey League.