Washington @ Vancouver preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 5, 2019 ) Vancouver 2, Washington 3

The Washington Capitals enter Friday's game against the host Vancouver Canucks with the NHL's leading scorer, but it's not the player who already has an Art Ross Trophy under his belt. Defenseman John Carlson tops the league with 21 points after registering an assist in his 700th career game as Washington dropped a 4-3 decision in overtime at Edmonton on Thursday.

The 29-year-old Carlson has scored five goals and set up 16 others to sit one point ahead of Oilers superstar Connor McDavid and seven in front of teammate Alex Ovechkin, who won the NHL scoring title in 2007-08 with a career-high 112 points. Carlson is riding a nine-game point streak - the longest by a defenseman in franchise history - and has landed on the scoresheet in 11 of the Capitals' first 12 contests this season. Vancouver is returning home from a 3-1-0 road trip that concluded with a 5-2 triumph in Detroit on Tuesday. Bo Horvat registered his first career hat trick in the victory for the Canucks, who have won six of their last seven contests after opening the season with a pair of losses.

TV: 10 p.m. ET, NBCS Washington Plus, Sportsnet One (Vancouver)

ABOUT THE CAPITALS (7-2-3): Ovechkin also enters Friday with a nine-game point streak as well as a run of three straight contests with a goal, scoring a total of four in that stretch. The 34-year-old Russian, who tallied twice against the Oilers, is one goal behind Luc Robitaille (668) for 12th place on the all-time list and would climb all the way to seventh if he matches his league-leading total of 51 tallies from last season. T.J. Oshie was kept off the scoresheet by Edmonton, ending a five-game point streak during which he collected four goals and two assists.

ABOUT THE CANUCKS (6-3-0): Vancouver trailed 2-0 on Tuesday before scoring five times in the third period, marking the sixth time in franchise history and first since April 15, 1993 it has accomplished the feat. Horvat leads the team with five goals - one more than J.T. Miller, whose next tally will be the 100th of his career. Miller and Elias Pettersson both notched a pair of assists against the Red Wings to remain tied for first on the team with 10 points apiece.

OVERTIME

1. Capitals LW Jakub Vrana recorded a goal and an assist against Edmonton, matching his point total from the previous eight games.

2. Horvat netted all five of his tallies this season during Vancouver's road trip.

3. Washington, which squandered a two-goal lead in the third period on Thursday, has earned points in six of its first seven road games this season (5-1-1).

PREDICTION: Capitals 5, Canucks 2