Capitals at Jets
Following a brief two-game stumble, the Washington Capitals are rolling again heading into Tuesday’s contest against the host Winnipeg Jets. The Capitals never trailed in winning back-to-back games this weekend, scoring eight goals combined against Vancouver and Calgary – four by forward Marcus Johansson – after coach Barry Trotz juggled his forward lines.
“We had a lot of energy from executing in the offensive zone,” Washington goaltender Braden Holtby told reporters following Sunday's game, in which the Capitals scored a power-play goal for the second straight contest after starting the season 2-for-19 with a man advantage. The Jets continued their troubling trend of starting slow in Sunday’s 3-1 home loss to Buffalo, and coach Paul Maurice’s decision to go with Michael Hutchinson in net for a second consecutive game backfired when he allowed three goals on 15 shots. “I didn’t like the last two (goals),” Maurice told reporters, citing sloppy turnovers that led to the Buffalo tallies. Winnipeg has trailed by three or more goals in five of its six home games.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, CSN Mid Atlantic (Washington), TSN3 (Winnipeg)
ABOUT THE CAPITALS (5-2-1): Johansson has benefited from the rejuggling of Trotz’s lines, finishing the weekend with five points (four goals, one assist) and a plus-3 rating. Washington’s special teams played exceptionally well in the two victories, going 5-for-5 on the penalty kill after allowing a power-play goal in five of its first six games. Goalie Philipp Grubauer has stopped 41-of-43 shots in two appearances this season, while Holtby stopped 21-of-22 shots Sunday after allowing seven goals in his previous two games.
ABOUT THE JETS (4-5-0): Forward Nikolaj Ehlers scored Winnipeg’s lone goal Sunday and continues to assert himself offensively in his second season as Maurice moved him onto the top line after the first period. The Jets posted a season-high 38 shots but could not convert on six power-play opportunities. Connor Hellebuyck shut down the Sabres after coming on for Hutchinson and has stopped 51-of-52 shots in his past two appearances, including a 38-save performance in Thursday’s victory over Dallas.
OVERTIME
1. Winnipeg F Drew Stafford (upper-body injury) is not expected to play Tuesday while D Tyler Myers (lower-body) hopes to return after missing Sunday’s contest.
2. Capitals F Alex Ovechkin has 85 points (43 goals, 42 assists) in 59 career games against the Atlanta/Winnipeg franchise.
3. Jets rookie F Patrik Laine, who is tied for the NHL lead in goals (six), is pointless in his past two games after recording six (five goals, one assist) in his previous four contests.