The Washington Capitals’ offense has disappeared lately, but the schedule makers may have found their tonic. The lowly Anaheim Ducks are in town, sporting the fifth-worst record in the Western Conference and surrendering the twelfth-most goals (135) in the NHL.
Spencer Carbery gave the lines a total makeover, most notably centering Pierre-Luc Dubois with Alex Ovechkin. Logan Thompson will once again jump in goal with Charlie Lindgren out due to injury. He’ll face John Gibson in net.
Capitals changing Alex Ovechkin's linemate amid Wayne Gretzky chase
Alex Ovechkin is going to be skating with a different teammate.
The Washington Capitals are switching up the lineup Tuesday for Alexander Ovechkin. Ovechkin is expected to share ice time with Pierre-Luc Dubois, per NHL.com, rather than Dylan Strome. It would be the first time since the NHL Preseason that Ovechkin and Dubois were skating on the same line.
The Capitals are making the move in an effort to find better chemistry.
“Just looking to change that top six and try to find a spark there,” coach Spencer Carbery said. “We haven’t used it all year, so we’ll see if that happens balance out our top six.”
Ovechkin and the Capitals are 28-10-5 on the season, with four wins in the past seven games. The lineup change for the Caps is expected for a game Tuesday against Anaheim.
Alex Ovechkin is chasing Wayne Gretzky and history this season
Ovechkin is one of the most respected players in hockey. He's chasing the great Wayne Gretzky on the all-time scoring list in the NHL. Ovechkin has 20 goals in 27 games this season, and needs 22 more to break Gretzky's mark of 894 goals. At the current rate he's scoring, the winger could surpass Gretzky this season.
Ovechkin has regularly played with Strome this season, so it will be interesting to see how the line change makes an impact for the club. This season, Dubois has 33 points for Washington. His plus-minus is outstanding, as he has a +11 in that category this year. Strome is actually right behind him in that category, at +10.
Capitals fans are chomping at the bit to see Ovechkin break Gretzky's record. It feels to many as if it is a matter of when, not if, Ovechkin overcomes that goal-mark. Gretzky finished his illustrious NHL career with 894 goals after retiring in 1999. He posted 2,857 total points.
Washington's star already has had a memorable season. He is now the second player in NHL history to have at least 20 goals in 20 straight seasons. The only other player to ever do that is the legendary Gordie Howe.
The Capitals are having a solid season in the Eastern Conference. Washington leads the Metropolitan Division with 61 points this season, and is certainly a contender to reach the Stanley Cup. The club's 156 goals are at the top of the Eastern Conference. Ovechkin has played with the team since 2005, and won a Stanley Cup in 2018.
1st Period
Puck is dropped.
Troy Terry grabs a huge hold of Jakob Chychrun at 3:36 giving the Capitals their first power play.
Logan Thompson stops a two-on-one.
🚨 1-0 Washington Capitals. WSH Goal: Brandon Duhaime (5). Assists: J. Chychrun (18), N. Dowd (6). Time: 07:34.
Capitals score again with Ethen Frank on the ice. Either Frank or Chychrun (scorers believe Chychrun) hit a rebound, which deflected off Duhaime’s back boot ever so slightly.
🚨 2-0 Washington Capitals. WSH Goal: John Carlson (4). Unassisted. Time: 14:30.
