Washington @ Anaheim preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 18, 2019 ) Anaheim 2, Washington 5

Among the many reasons why the Washington Capitals are battling the Boston Bruins for the best record in hockey are their stellar play on the road and their success against the Pacific Division. The red-hot Capitals look to continue both trends and complete a perfect four-game road trip when they visit the Anaheim Ducks on Friday night.

Washington stayed perfect on its trek and extended its winning streak to five games with a 3-1 win at Los Angeles on Wednesday, improving to 13-2-1 away from home and 7-0-3 against Pacific foes. "We've got a lot of road ahead of us. I think we've definitely been happy with the way we've started," defenseman John Carlson said. "Just stay focused I think is the big thing. It's early." While the Capitals are trying to match their season-high winning streak, Anaheim won for only the third time in 13 games with a 4-2 victory over Los Angeles on Monday night. Emotions could run high in the wake of the Ducks' 5-2 loss at Washington on Nov. 18, when Capitals forward Garnet Hathaway was ejected and subsequently suspended for spitting on Anaheim's Erik Gudbranson.

TV: 10 p.m. ET, Sportsnet East/Ontario/Pacific, NBCS Washington-Plus, KCOP-13 (Anaheim)

ABOUT THE CAPITALS (21-4-5): Carlson etched his name among the all-time greats, collecting six points on the road trip to boost his season total to 42 -- the second-highest number through 30 games by a defenseman, trailing only Bobby Orr. "I don't know what to say right now," captain Alex Ovechkin said after Carlson scored twice against Los Angeles. "He's just the hottest guy out there. Two highlight-reel goals again." Carlson, who had three assists in last month's meeting, has 26 of his points on the road.

ABOUT THE DUCKS (12-12-4): Goaltender John Gibson missed Monday's game while dealing with a virus but he was back at practice Thursday and could be in line to make the 250th start of his career. Anaheim has struggled offensively throughout the season but got a boost from its fourth line, which accounted for three goals and five points against the Kings. "It's something that for our team to be successful, we need all four lines to chip in at different times," said Derek Grant, who scored his seventh and eighth goals.

OVERTIME

1. Ovechkin scored in last month's meeting and has 12 goals and 26 points in 19 games against Anaheim.

2. Ducks D Hampus Lindholm collected three assists Monday to halt a seven-game point drought.

3. Capitals G Braden Holtby has split eight decisions with a 3.73 goals-against average versus Anaheim.

PREDICTION: Capitals 3, Ducks 2