Colorado Avalanche (8-5-1, third in the Central Division) vs. Washington Capitals (7-9-2, seventh in the Metropolitan Division)
Washington; Saturday, 7 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: The Washington Capitals host the Colorado Avalanche after the Avalanche took down the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2 in overtime.
Washington has gone 5-3-1 at home and 7-9-2 overall. The Capitals are 10th in NHL play serving 10.3 penalty minutes per game.
Colorado has an 8-5-1 record overall and a 5-3-0 record in road games. The Avalanche have a +12 scoring differential, with 50 total goals scored and 38 allowed.
The matchup Saturday is the third time these teams meet this season. The Capitals won 3-2 in the previous meeting. John Carlson led the Capitals with two goals.
TOP PERFORMERS: Alex Ovechkin has eight goals and six assists for the Capitals. Evgeny Kuznetsov has two goals and seven assists over the last 10 games.
Evan Rodrigues has scored six goals with two assists for the Avalanche. Mikko Rantanen has eight goals and eight assists over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Capitals: 2-5-3, averaging 2.7 goals, 4.2 assists, 4.5 penalties and 12.1 penalty minutes while giving up 3.1 goals per game.
Avalanche: 7-3-0, averaging 3.4 goals, six assists, 3.6 penalties and 7.7 penalty minutes while giving up 2.2 goals per game.
INJURIES: Capitals: Carl Hagelin: out (hip), Dmitry Orlov: out (lower-body), T.J. Oshie: out (lower-body), Connor Brown: out (lower body), Tom Wilson: out (knee), Nicklas Backstrom: out (hip), Beck Malenstyn: out (finger).
Avalanche: Valeri Nichushkin: out (ankle), Kurtis MacDermid: out (lower-body), Darren Helm: out (undisclosed), Gabriel Landeskog: out (knee), Bowen Byram: out (undisclosed), Shane Bowers: out (upper-body).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
