Hockey fans once again will be focused on Alex Ovechkin when the Washington Capitals face off against the Minnesota Wild on Thursday night in Saint Paul, Minn.
The 39-year-old Ovechkin enters the game with 889 career goals, which is five shy of matching Wayne Gretzky for No. 1 all-time. Ovechkin has 36 goals this season, including two in his past three games and three in his past five.
The extra attention has not spoiled Ovechkin’s run toward history.
“It’s a fun time, obviously,” Ovechkin said. “You just have to enjoy it. It’s a special moment. Everybody is watching. Everybody is paying attention to this.”
It also helps that Washington (47-15-9, 103 points) is winning. A lot.
The Capitals are 9-1-1 in their past 11 games and have the most points in the NHL. They are on a five-game point streak but are looking to bounce back from a 3-2 overtime loss against the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday night. Winnipeg leads the Western Conference with 102 points.
Dylan Strome leads the Capitals with 68 points (23 G, 45 A) in 71 games. Aliaksei Protas is next with 64 points (29 G, 35 A) and Pierre-Luc Dubois is third with 61 points (18 G, 43 A). Ovechkin ranks fourth with 60 points.
Washington also is getting significant contributions from its blueliners. Six defensemen have at least 20 points this season, led by John Carlson with 46 (5 G, 41 A).
“I think it’s been a huge part of why we’ve transformed offensively this year from last year,” Capitals coach Spencer Carbery said. “… It’s helped our forwards be more productive. It’s helped our whole team be more productive. I can’t say enough good things about our D-core and what they’ve given us offensively to be able to produce the way that we have.”
Minnesota (40-27-5, 85 points) is looking to bounce back from a pair of losses against the Dallas Stars and the Vegas Golden Knights in its two most recent games. The Wild were outscored 8-1 in those contests.
Despite the recent skid, the Wild remain in position to earn a wild-card playoff berth, six points to the good of the cutoff line. But a prolonged slump could bump Minnesota out of that spot.
“Everyone’s competing,” Wild coach John Hynes said. “Everyone’s jockeying. This is the best time of the year, and that’s why you want to be in this position.
“You want to be in a position where there’s meaningful games down the stretch.”
Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson likely will get the start after teammate Marc-Andre Fleury handled starting duties in the previous game. Gustavsson is 28-16-4 with a 2.47 goals-against average and.918 save percentage.
The Capitals could start Logan Thompson or Charlie Lindgren in net. Thompson is 31-4-6 with a 2.32 GAA and a .917 save percentage, and Lindgren is 16-11-3 with a 2.63 GAA and.901 save percentage.
This is the second and final game of the regular season between the teams. The first matchup went to a shootout round, when the Wild edged the host Capitals for a 4-3 victory on Jan. 2.
–Field Level Media
