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The Washington Capitals host the New York Islanders at Verizon Center today in the fourth and final meeting between the teams this season. Alex Ovechkin leads the NHL in goals (38) and Nicklas Backstrom leads the League in assists (45). Backstrom ranks tied for first in the NHL in points (63) and Ovechkin ranks tied for third (61). Backstrom and Ovechkin have combined to register 124 points this season, marking the highest total for any teammates in the NHL. Backstrom (18) and Ovechkin (38) have also combined to score 56 goals this season, ranking first in the League. Ovechkin leads the Capitals in goals and Backstrom ranks second. Backstrom has earned an assist on 25 of Ovechkin’s 38 goals this season and since Backstrom entered the NHL in 2007-08, he has recorded an assist on 165 of Ovechkin’s 362 goals (45.6%). Ovechkin has tallied 41 points (26g, 15a) in 36 career games against the Islanders and Backstrom has earned 27 points (8g, 19a) in 27 career games against New York.
Warming Up in Winter – Since Dec. 4, the Capitals have posted a 22-7-6 record, tied with Nashville for most points (50) in the NHL during that span. Washington has won three straight games and is 7-2-0 in its last nine outings. The Capitals have averaged 3.11 goals per game in their last nine games and are 24-7-4 this season when scoring three or more goals. Washington ranks seventh in the NHL in goals per game (2.95), tied for ninth in 5-on-5 goals (112) and tied for 12th in faceoff win percentage (51.0%).
Leading the Way – Nicklas Backstrom scored two power-play goals and earned an assist on Thursday against Winnipeg, marking his third multi-goal game of the season and the fourth time this season he has earned three or more points in a game. The Gavle, Sweden, native leads the NHL in assists (45) and ranks tied for first in the League in points (63) and power-play points (27) and ranks second among Capitals skaters in goals (18). With his three points on Thursday, Backstrom (557) moved into fifth place on the Capitals franchise points list, passing Bengt Gustafsson (555) and Dale Hunter (556). Backstrom has recorded 16 assists in his last 16 games (1/16-2/19: 5g, 16a) and has earned a point in three straight games (2/15-2/19: 2g, 4a). Since he entered the NHL in 2007-08, Backstrom ranks third in the League in assists (412), trailing Henrik Sedin (457) and Joe Thornton (442).
Point Taken – Alex Ovechkin scored a goal and tallied an assist on Thursday against Winnipeg, extending his point streak to six games (2/8-2/19: 6g, 5a) and his goal streak to four games (2/14-2/19: 5g, 4a). The Moscow native has scored 22 goals in his last 24 games (12/29-2/19: 22g, 11a) and has recorded three straight multi-point games (2/15-2/19: 5g, 4a). Ovechkin leads the NHL in goals (38), shots (291) and power-play goals (17), ranks tied for first in game-winning goals (8), tied for third in points (61) and ninth in hits (187).
Power Surge – The Capitals scored a season-high three power-play goals on Thursday against Winnipeg, marking the first time since March 5, 2014, Washington has scored three power-play goals in a game. The Capitals have scored six power-play goals in their last three games (2/15-2/19) and are 44 for 180 (24.4%) on the power play this season, ranking second in the NHL. Nicklas Backstrom scored two power-play goals in a 2:40 span during the second period on Thursday, becoming the third player in the NHL this season to score multiple power-play goals within a three-minute span (Joakim Lindstrom and David Backes). Backstrom also recorded an assist on the Capitals’ first power play goal of the game scored by John Carlson, marking the eighth time in Backstrom’s career he has tallied three power-play points in a game. Since he entered the NHL in 2007, Backstrom leads the League in games with three power-play points.
Holt-beast – Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby stopped 19 of 20 shots on Thursday against Winnipeg to earn his career-high 28th win of the season. Holtby has posted a 6-2-1 record in his last nine starts (1/28-2/19) with two shutouts, a 1.44 goals-against average and .947 save percentage. The Lloydminster, Saskatchewan, native leads the NHL in ice time (2,932) and games played (50), ranks tied for second in shutouts (6), third in saves (1,291), fourth in goals-against average (2.15), tied for fourth in save percentage (.925) and sixth in wins (28). Holtby is the third goaltender in Capitals history to record at least six shutouts in one season, joining Jim Carey (nine shutouts in 1995-96) and Olaf Kolzig (six shutouts in 2001-02). Since the start of the 2012-13 season, Holtby and Boston’s Tuukka Rask rank tied for first in the NHL in shutouts (14).
