The Washington Capitals will look to continue their strong play at home when they face the Nashville Predators on Wednesday night.
The Capitals have won six straight games at home since their season-opening loss at home to the New Jersey Devils. In those victories, they’ve scored at least four goals in all but one game, including 18 goals in their last three home games.
Out of the 46 goals the Capitals have scored this season, 34 of them have come at Capital One Arena, averaging 4.86 goals per game. This is the second-best in the NHL as of Tuesday.
On the road, however, the Capitals have only scored 12 goals in four games, with half of those goals coming in a 6-5 overtime win against the Devils on October 19.
Alex Ovechkin has been a big part of the team’s offensive success at home. The team captain has scored 12 of his 14 points in Washington, including five goals and seven assists.
“Obviously it’s going well for (Ovechkin), you’ve got to find a way to get him the puck when he’s open,” said Dylan Strome, who plays on the top line with Ovechkin and Aliaksei Protas. “We have lots of chances in the game, whether it’s off faceoffs or in the (offensive) zone or on the power play.
“He’s making great plays, too. That’s the thing, it’s not just his goals. I think his assists are up, too, and he’s making really good passes, and we’re finding ways to connect. … So we’re just trying to find ways to contribute and help the team.”
The Capitals had won three straight games before their streak ended with a 4-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday.
Along with Ovechkin, who was named the NHL’s First Star of the Week after scoring five goals in four games, Dylan Strome and Aliaksei Protas played a big role in the three-game winning streak.
Each of them had three straight games with multiple points during that stretch, and together, they combined for 22 points (eight goals, 14 assists).
Things haven’t been going as well for the Predators, who were expected to do better after signing big-name players like forwards Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault and defenseman Brady Skjei during the offseason.
They are 4-7-1 after a 3-0 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Monday and are in last place in the Central Division, though they are only four points away from fourth place.
“Frustration’s everywhere, you can feel it through our bench,” Predators center Ryan O’Reilly said. “Everyone feels it. We have to dig deeper to find a way out of it.”
Nashville started the season with a five-game losing streak and has now lost three of its last four games after a three-game winning streak. The team has scored only eight goals in those four games, with five of them coming in their only win during that stretch.
As of Tuesday, the Predators were ranked 29th in the league for both total goals (29) and goals per game (2.42).
“Seems like we’re a little flat,” defenseman Luke Schenn said. “… My opinion, pretty perimeter. We’ve been talking about it, and you’re not going to score goals unless you get to the inside. … It’s just not good enough.”
While Marchessault is tied for third on the team with seven points (two goals, five assists), Stamkos is seventh with just two goals and five points through 12 games, including one goal in his last seven games.
