T.J. Oshie (Caps Outsider)
After suffering their third loss in a row, and second straight in overtime, the Caps head to St. Louis in their second to last game of the season against a Blues team that has a playoff seeding to play for.
St. Louis and the Dallas Stars are tied in points, but Dallas has the tiebreaker for the Central Division lead. The winner of the division will play the Minnesota Wild while the loser will play the Chicago Blackhawks. The Blues have won eight of their last nine games. Their only loss was 6-5 on home ice against Boston last week. The Blues have a good combination of veterans and young players, such as rising star Vladimir Tarasenko, 24, who leads the team with 39 goals and 79 points, and 20-year-old rookie Robby Fabbri who has 37 points. Veterans Paul Stastny and Alexander Steen lead the team in assists. They have two really goaltenders in Jake Allen and Brian Elliott, who have combined for 10 shutouts this season, four of which were in consecutive games. Expect Elliot to play as Allen is out with an injury.
With nothing to play for, the Caps still want to get back in the win column after losing three in a row for the first time this season. This won’t be easy, as the Blues need this victory more than the Caps, and St. Louis recently beat Washington 4-0. This will be the first game in St. Louis for T.J. Oshie since being traded from the Blues to Washington for Troy Brouwer and Phoenix Copley.
With two games remaining against the Blues and then the Ducks, the Caps are looking to enter the playoffs on a high-note.
