gphr513
Watch the world burn
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...(33-22-7)...................................(35-20-10)
The Wild, currently on a 3 game win streak, head to Washington DC to take on the Capitals. The Caps are coming off a 5-3 victory in Columbus. Alex Ovechkin scored his league leading 42nd and 43rd goals of the season in the win.
[NHL]770048[/NHL]
Season series: The Minnesota Wild went 1-0-1 against the Washington Capitals last season. The Capitals won 3-2 in a shootout at the Verizon Center on Nov. 7, 2013.
Wild team scope: Minnesota has a two-game road trip on back-to-back nights. The Wild have won four consecutive games away from Xcel Energy Center, their longest road winning streak in two years. Minnesota is 16-3-2 since the All-Star break, the best record in the NHL. The Wild didn't practice Wednesday following a 3-2 shootout win against the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday. Defenseman Jared Spurgeon, who has missed the past six games with an upper-body injury, is questionable. His defense partner, Marco Scandella, is out with an undisclosed ailment. Goaltender Devan Dubnyk is likely to start his 22nd consecutive game, extending his Wild record.
Capitals team scope: Washington opens a season-long five-game homestand. The Capitals are nine points ahead of the Boston Bruins, who hold the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference. With a day off Wednesday, several Capitals said they are looking forward to getting into a consistent rhythm of playing games and having practice, a luxury this time of year. "The last stretch we've had here, that's been the biggest hit to our game, the lack of practice at times, just based on the schedule," goaltender Braden Holtby told the Capitals website. "Those things to try to keep sharp and try to improve little things are still necessary throughout a season. And we're going to have a few more practice days in the next month or two, and it's nice." Holtby is expected to start; his 31 victories rank fourth in the NHL. Washington has won its past four home games against Minnesota, outscoring the Wild 13-4.
Last Game vs. Washington
Washington Leading Scorers
Alex Ovechkin | 65 GP | 43g* | 24a | 67p* | 44 PIM | +12
Nicklas Backstrom | 65 GP | 18g | 49a* | 67p* | 40 PIM | +5
John Carlson | 65 GP | 10g | 35a | 45p | 24 PIM | +12
Marcus Johansson | 65 GP | 16g | 21a | 37p | 8 PIM | +2
Mike Green | 56 GP | 5g | 31a | 36p | 26 PIM | +9
* - Leads NHL
Probable Starting Goalie
Braden Holtby | 31-15-9 | 2.17 GAA | .925 SV%
Minnesota Leading Scorers
Zach Parise | 56 GP | 25g | 21a | 46p | 35 PIM | +10
Jason Pominville | 63 GP | 13g | 29a | 42p | 8 PIM | +/- 0
Thomas Vanek | 63 GP | 13g | 26a | 39p | 27 PIM | -9
Mikko Koivu | 63 GP | 10g | 28a | 38p | 34 PIM | -1
Nino and Suter tied at 30p
Probable Starting Goalie
Devan Dubnyk* | 16-3-1 | 1.65 GAA | .937 SV%
* - stats with Wild
Probable Lineup
Parise-Granlund-Pominville
Bergenheim-Koivu-Stewart
Niederreiter-Coyle-Vanek
Brodziak-Haula-Fontaine
Suter-Brodin
Prosser-Dumba
Leopold-Folin
Probable Lineup
Ovechkin-Backstrom-Johansson
Glencross-Kuznetzsov-Brouwer
Chimera-Fehr-Ward
Laich-Beagle-Wilson
Orpik-Carlson
Alzner-Niskanen
Gleason-Green
Let's Go Wild!!!
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