Boston @ Washington preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 10, 2019 ) Washington 4, Boston 2

Sure, the Washington Capitals are the defending Stanley Cup champions and perennially among the top teams in the league, but their dominance against the Boston Bruins defies logic -- even to their own players. Two nights after snapping a seven-game losing streak by beating Calgary, the Capitals vie for their 15 consecutive victory over the visiting Bruins on Sunday afternoon.

Washington has won both meetings this season, including a 4-2 victory in Boston on Jan. 10 that prompted a reporter to ask goaltender Braden Holtby if the team feels like it owns the Bruins. “We’ve had success against them, but they’ve always been good games," Holtby said. "It’s just one of those things that seems to just happen, but they’re a fun team to play against." Boston last defeated the Capitals in March 2014 and has dropped its last seven visits to the nation's capital, but it also has lost three straight - all at home - and five of six following Thursday's 3-2 overtime setback against Philadelphia. "We have to fix it," Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy told reporters. "The guys have to decide if they're going to play the right way and buy in and understand what we are right now."

TV: 12:30 p.m. ET, NBC

ABOUT THE BRUINS (27-17-7): Tuukka Rask, who returned from a concussion in the loss to the Flyers, will get his third chance at trying to set the franchise record for victories that he shares with Tiny Thompson (252), but Washington has been a nemesis for him as well as his teammates. Although he is riding a personal eight-game point streak (6-0-2) since the Christmas break, Rask has posted only one win and a 3.30 goals-against average in 18 career appearances (1-11-5) versus the Capitals. The Bruins continue to be top-line heavy as David Pastrnak scored twice on Thursday to reach 30 goals for the third consecutive season.

ABOUT THE CAPITALS (28-17-6): With captain Alex Ovechkin a rare absence from the lineup due to a one-game suspension for skipping the All-Star Game, Evgeny Kuznetsov wound up playing 24 1/2 minutes and assisted on one goal before delivering the game-winner in the final minute. Part of Kuznetsov's workload was necessitated by an undisclosed injury to third-line center Lars Eller, who exited Friday's contest in the second period and was listed as a game-time decision by coach Todd Reirden after sitting out Saturday's practice. Holtby's career numbers versus Boston are off the charts, as he is 16-2-0 with a 1.85 GAA and four shutouts.

OVERTIME

1. Ovechkin scored twice in last month's win over the Bruins, giving him 24 goals and 49 points in 47 career meetings.

2. Pastrnak was kept off the scoresheet and posted a minus-5 rating in the two matchups versus Washington this season.

3. Capitals C Nicklas Backstrom, who scored in the last meeting with Boston, has recorded one goal and five assists during his four-game point streak.

PREDICTION: Capitals 3, Bruins 2