Caps Outsider
The Washington Capitals will have their final meeting of the season with the Winnipeg Jets Saturday night in the MTS Centre. The Caps come into this game having won their past three games and hope to come back to Washington with a perfect late season road trip. Similarly, the Jets will hope to extend their own win streak to four games, having won their third game against the Blues in a shootout on Thursday. Both teams hold a wild card spot in their respective conferences, Washington with the first wild card spot and Winnipeg with the 2nd wild card spot in the West.
The Caps recorded their most recent victory on Thursday night with 3-2 win against one of the hottest teams in the league, the Minnesota Wild. The Caps had finally beat the Wild in XCEL Energy Center, the last team in the NHL to do so. Alexander Ovechkin scored two goals in the contest, including the GWG, and Evgeny Kuznetsov continued his point streak with a beautiful goal in the 2nd period. Braden Holtby made 28 saves in route to his 34th win of the season.
The Caps faced off against the Jets in late February at the Verizon Center, emerging victorious with a convincing 5-1 win. Washington will try to sweep the season series in Winnipeg on Saturday and continue their hot play. The Caps will miss the services of Jay Beagle, Dmitry Orlov, and possibly Tim Gleason. Here are the expected lines combinations and defensive pairings:
Alexander Ovechkin – Nicklas Backstrom – Marcus Johansson
Curtis Glencross – Evgeny Kuznetsov – Troy Brouwer
Jason Chimera – Eric Fehr – Joel Ward
Brooks Laich – Michael Latta – Tom Wilson
Brooks Orpik – John Carlson
Karl Alzner – Matt Niskanen
Nate Schmidt – Mike Green
Braden Holtby
Who’s hot: Evgeny Kuznetsov has 5 points in his last 5 games, Alex Ovechkin has 4 points in his last 5 games, and Braden Holtby has 3 straight wins and a shutout.
Washington is currently tied for 3rd place in the Metropolitan Division with the Pittsburgh Penguins who have a game in hand. The Caps will have a chance to take sole possession of the 3rd spot on Saturday night with a win against the Jets but the Penguins will also have to lose to Arizona the same night. The Caps must continue their consistent play against a Jets team fighting for a playoff berth and return home to the Verizon Center with confidence.
