Washington @ Ottawa preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 27, 2018 ) Ottawa 2, Washington 3

The Washington Capitals will try to get their offense back in gear as they go for a seventh victory in eight games before the holiday break on Saturday against the Ottawa Senators. The Capitals dropped a 2-1 decision to Pittsburgh on Wednesday to snap their five-game losing streak and were able to pull out a win by the same score two nights later against visiting Buffalo.

Captain Alex Ovechkin is cooling off after scoring 17 goals during a 14-game stretch as the Capitals took control of the Metropolitan Division, as he has been kept off the scoresheet in consecutive contests for the first time this season. Washington has won eight of its last nine meetings with the Senators, who knocked off powerful Nashville earlier in the week at home before falling 5-2 at New Jersey on Friday. Matt Duchene (298 assists) returned to the lineup for Ottawa in the setback and scored both goals after missing six games with a lower-body injury while Mark Stone notched an assist to give him a team-high 40 points, including 12 in 10 contests this month. The Senators have been a different team this season at home, where they have earned at least one point in 14 of 19 games (11-5-3) and are 4-1-1 in their last six.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, NBCS Washington Plus, Sportsnet360, CITY, TVA (Ottawa)

ABOUT THE CAPITALS (21-10-3): Ovechkin leads the league with 29 goals and tops the team with 43 points - three more than Nicklas Backstrom, who has recorded six assists in his last five contests. Evgeny Kuznetsov registered an assist on Friday to give him 11 points in his last 10 games and 297 for his career while Tom Wilson scored his 10th goal in 15 contests this season. Braden Holtby made 36 saves against Buffalo and is expected to be rested Saturday in favor of backup Pheonix Copley (7-2-1, .902 save percentage), who has won three straight starts.

ABOUT THE SENATORS (15-17-4): Defenseman Thomas Chabot played in his 100th NHL game on Friday and notched an assist for his 62nd point (19 goals) in that span and 37th this season - second among all NHL blue-liners. Bobby Ryan notched an assist on Friday to snap his five-game point drought and rookie defenseman Christian Jaros set up a goal for his first point in 10 contests. Craig Anderson (14-13-3) was pulled after permitting five goals on 25 shots over two periods against New Jersey following a 3-1-0 stretch during which he allowed nine tallies.

OVERTIME

1. Stone, who has scored 10 of his 16 goals at home in 2018-19, recorded four points in three games versus the Capitals last season.

2. Washington RW T.J. Oshie has registered one point (a goal) in five contests since missing almost a month with a concussion.

3. Senators C Colin White was kept off the scoresheet Friday after collecting seven points during a seven-game stretch.

PREDICTION: Capitals 5, Senators 3