Capitals at Blue Jackets
Although Braden Holtby traditionally is the workhorse goaltender for the Washington Capitals, Philipp Grubauer has seen an uptick in playing time of late. With Holtby making an early exit in the last contest, Grubauer could get the nod on Tuesday as the NHL-leading Capitals vie for their seventh win in eight outings when they visit the cellar-dwelling Columbus Blue Jackets.
Holtby exited Sunday's tilt late in the second period due to dehydration and was replaced by Grubauer, who turned aside all 11 shots he faced in Washington's 5-2 victory over the New York Rangers. The 24-year-old German owns a 3-1-0 mark with a 1.36 goals-against average in his last six appearances for Washington, which is 26-6-1 against Eastern Conference representatives. Columbus is singing a vastly different tune with 18 losses in 26 encounters (8-15-3) against its conference foes, but it has won two in a row following a four-game skid. Defenseman Jack Johnson scored with 1:07 left to give the Blue Jackets a 2-1 triumph over Colorado on Saturday and tallied twice in a 5-4 shootout win over the Capitals on Jan. 2.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, CSMA (Washington), FSN Ohio (Columbus)
ABOUT THE CAPITALS (34-8-3): Justin Williams recorded his second career hat trick versus the Rangers and also tallied in a 2-1 victory over Columbus on Oct. 30. Captain Alex Ovechkin, who had an assist in that meeting with the Blue Jackets, has collected six goals in his last six games overall to keep the heat on Chicago's Patrick Kane (29) for the league lead. Fellow Russian Evgeny Kuznetsov secured his second three-assist performance of the season and third career on Sunday to increase his total to seven points (two goals, five assists) in the last four games.
ABOUT THE BLUE JACKETS (17-25-4): Veteran Scott Hartnell apologized to his teammates at the conclusion of Monday's practice for being responsible for a costly too-many-men-on-the-ice penalty versus the Avalanche. The 33-year-old Hartnell elected to exchange words with the Avalanche bench as opposed to getting off the ice at the end of his shift. "It's his call. It's good for him, it's good for our team," coach John Tortorella told reporters of Hartnell's voluntary gesture.
OVERTIME
1. Sidelined since Dec. 8 with a groin injury, Columbus G Sergei Bobrovsky could get the start on Tuesday after serving as the team's backup versus Colorado.
2. Washington D Karl Alzner will match Bob Carpenter by playing in his franchise-best 422nd consecutive contest on Tuesday.
3. Blue Jackets D David Savard is expected to miss four weeks with an oblique strain.