Washington @ Edmonton preview
Rogers Place
Last Meeting ( Feb 2, 2022 ) Edmonton 5, Washington 3
Washington left winger Alex Ovechkin will attempt to pass Jaromir Jagr for sole possession of third place on the NHL's all-time goals list when the Capitals visit the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday night.
Ovechkin scored twice in the Capitals' 5-4 win against the Calgary Flames on Tuesday to move into a tie with Jagr at 766 goals.
The 36-year-old veteran has four goals in his past three games and 36 during the 2021-22 campaign. The Capitals are 19-3-5 this season when he scores a goal.
Nic Dowd scored the go-ahead goal for Washington, which won a third straight game for the first time since Nov. 24-28. The Capitals would match their season high if they can earn a fourth straight win.
Washington forward Anthony Mantha, who missed 45 games due to a shoulder injury before returning Thursday, scored in his third game back to tie it 3-3 in the third period.
"Mo ties the game, gives us confidence," Ovechkin said. "We grab a hold in the third period and get it done."
Capitals forward Conor Sheary continued his hot streak, scoring his 15th goal of the season. He has four goals and two assists in his past four games.
The Capitals went 0-for-3 on the power play Tuesday but killed off their only penalty. They have killed off 17 consecutive opposing power-play opportunities and 25 of the past 26 dating back to Feb. 13.
Washington goalie Ilya Samsonov likely will get his first start on Wednesday since he was pulled after allowing three goals against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Feb. 28.
As for the Oilers, with five games left before the NHL trade deadline, they need to determine very soon if they will be buyers. They trail the Dallas Stars by three points for the second Western Conference wild-card spot as they open a five-game homestand.
Edmonton dropped a 3-1 decision at Calgary on Monday night. Devin Shore scored and Mikko Koskinen made 26 saves for the Oilers, who have lost three in a row (0-2-1).
"We played a solid game, I think, but you're not going to win very many games when you score one goal," Edmonton's Leon Draisaitl said. "On the defensive side of it, I thought it was good, but offensively we didn't create enough."
The Oilers have scored three or fewer goals in seven of their past eight games, and they are 2-5-1 in that span.
Injuries and a broken power play continue to plague Edmonton, which went 0-for-4 on the man advantage against Calgary. Unsurprisingly, that was a focus during Tuesday's practice.
"I don't think we were anywhere where we needed to be on our power play, specifically early in the game," Edmonton coach Jay Woodcroft said of the Monday defeat. "I don't think our power play (vs. the Flames) was a momentum generator for our team, and a key factor in us not winning the game was the frustration that we felt on it."
Edmonton's power play is clicking only 16.9 percent of the time (13-for-77) over the past 28 games. The Oilers succeeded at a 31.9 percent rate (29-for-91) over their first 29 games.
Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard, who missed the Calgary game due to illness, practiced on Tuesday, but goaltender Mike Smith (illness) remains sidelined. Defenseman Tyson Barrie, who has sat out two games because of an upper-body injury, is day-to-day.
--Field Level Media