Washington Capitals (27-15-5 59pts) v. Chicago Blackhawks (16-24-9 41pts)
Time: 1230p EST
Station: NBC
Preview:
The Washington Capitals head to Chicago to take on the Blackhawks for a 1230p matinee on NBC. The Capitals will be looking to end their four game losing streak, while the Blackhawks will be looking to get themselves back in the win column as well.
https://twitter.com/CapitalsPR/status/1086665683314896897
Washington Capitals:
Projected Lineup:
Alex Ovechkin — Nicklas Backstrom — T.J. Oshie
Jakub Vrana — Lars Eller — Tom Wilson
Andre Burakovsky — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Brett Connolly
Chandler Stephenson — Nic Dowd — Devante Smith-Pelly
Dmitry Orlov — John Carlson
Michal Kempny — Matt Niskanen
Brooks Orpik — Madison Bowey
Braden Holtby
Pheonix Copley
Scratched: Travis Boyd, Dmitrij Jaskin, Jonas Siegenthaler
Injured: Christian Djoos (thigh)
Keys to the Game:
1. Smarter decisions
The Capitals need to make smarter decisions both with and without the puck. There have been too many instances of over passing or overthinking plays. The Capitals just need to simplify their game and play smart.
Chicago Blackhawks:
Projected Lineup:
Drake Caggiula — Jonathan Toews — Patrick Kane
Alex DeBrincat — Dylan Strome — Dominik Kahun
Brandon Saad — David Kampf — Marcus Kruger
John Hayden — Artem Anisimov — Chris Kunitz
Duncan Keith — Brent Seabrook
Carl Dahlstrom — Connor Murphy
Slater Koekkoek — Erik Gustafsson
Collin Delia
Cam Ward
Scratched: Henri Jokiharju
Injured: Corey Crawford (concussion), Gustav Forsling (upper torso), Brendan Perlini (concussion protocol)
Keys to the Game:
1. Get a good start
The Blackhawks need stronger starts to their games, and with a Capitals team that is struggling as of late, an early start could give the Blackhawks the opportunity to put the momentum in their favor.
