Washington @ Ottawa preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 22, 2018 ) Washington 4, Ottawa 0

After beginning the month with a pair of losses, the Washington Capitals have gone on a tear, winning eight of their last nine games. The reigning Stanley Cup champion Capitals aim for their fifth straight road victory when they visit the Ottawa Senators on Saturday.

Washington, which ended November with a seven-game winning streak, enters the battle between national capitals with a three-game run - including a 4-0 triumph in Ottawa on Dec. 22 - after topping Carolina 3-1 on Thursday. Captain Alex Ovechkin's goal-scoring drought reached four contests, but the 33-year-old Russian leads the league in tallies and is one away from having reached the 30-goal plateau in each of his 14 NHL seasons. Ottawa is coming off its third straight loss, a 6-3 setback against the New York Islanders on Friday. Mark Stone scored his team-leading 17th goal as the Senators built a 3-1 lead before allowing five unanswered tallies - including four in the third period - en route to their fifth defeat in six road games.

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

ABOUT THE CAPITALS (23-10-3): T.J. Oshie scored on Thursday for the first time in six contests and is two goals shy of 200 for his career. Washington could be without Matt Niskanen against Ottawa as the defenseman exited the win over the Hurricanes in the third period after crashing head-first into the boards. Blue-liner John Carlson began the campaign by scoring five goals in his first eight games but went 26 contests without one before tallying on Thursday.

ABOUT THE SENATORS (15-19-4): Marcus Hogberg, who was recalled from Belleville of the American Hockey League on Thursday due to Craig Anderson's concussion and has yet to appear in an NHL game, is expected to make the start on Saturday. The 24-year-old Swedish goaltender, who was a third-round pick in the 2013 draft, has gone 3-3-1 with a 2.32 goals-against average and .916 save percentage in eight contests with the AHL Senators this season. Stone has been wielding a hot stick of late, registering eight goals and nine assists over his last 15 games.

OVERTIME

1. With his next tally, Ovechkin will join Mike Gartner as the only players in NHL history to begin their careers with 14 30-goal seasons.

2. Ottawa D Justin Falk sat out Friday's game and is expected to also miss the contest versus the Capitals due to a concussion.

3. Oshie's goal against Carolina, which was the game-winner, ended Washington's 0-for-19 drought on the power play.

PREDICTION: Capitals 5, Senators 2