Ottawa @ Washington preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 29, 2018 ) Washington 3, Ottawa 2

Their roster purge complete, the Ottawa Senators are left to pick up the pieces after trading away all three of their top-scoring forwards over the past week. The final domino fell just prior to Monday's trade deadline for the last-place Senators, who will take a four-game losing streak into Tuesday night's road game against the Washington Capitals.

Ottawa shipped forwards Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel to Columbus in separate trades before sending Mark Stone to Vegas at Monday's trade deadline, taking 77 goals out of its lineup. Not that the Senators needed any more adversity against the Capitals, having won only one of the last 11 meetings and dropping their last six visits to Washington. The reigning Stanley Cup champions, sitting two points behind the first-place New York Islanders, were content to stand pat Monday after the recent acquisitions of defenseman Nick Jensen and forward Carl Hagelin. "It’s pretty much the same roster,” general manager Todd MacLellan said. “Maybe a little better, in my mind.”

TV: 7 p.m. ET, RDS2, TSN5 (Ottawa), NBCS Washington

ABOUT THE SENATORS (22-35-5): Ottawa lost an 8-7 slugfest in its last game with Stone, Duchene and Dzingel in the lineup but managed just one goal in its last three losses and is the only team with fewer than 50 points. In exchange for Stone, who topped the team in goals (28) and points (62), the Senators received forward Oscar Lindberg, coveted defenseman prospect Erik Brannstrom and a 2020 second-round pick. "Whatever's going to happen, whoever you're playing, whatever type of day it is, you can rely on Mark," coach Guy Boucher said. "And I don't think there's a better quality than that for a coach."

ABOUT THE CAPITALS (35-21-7): Jensen made his debut with Washington despite not practicing with the team and played just over 14 minutes, seeing time on the penalty kill what registering three shots on goal, two hits and a blocked shot in Sunday's 6-5 overtime win over the New York Rangers. “I don’t know that there was another guy out there that we would have said, ‘This is a must-have for us,’ but given the way he plays, I think it’s a perfect fit our team,” MacLellan said. Center Nicklas Backstrom, who ended a 12-game goal drought by scoring twice Sunday, has 33 points in 39 games against Ottawa.

OVERTIME

1. Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin has points in six straight after his five-game goal streak was halted Sunday.

2. Senators D Thomas Chabot picked up an assist Sunday and is now the team leader with 47 points.

3. Capitals G Braden Holtby is 8-3-1 with a 2.07 goals-against average versus Ottawa.

PREDICTION: Capitals 4, Senators 1