As the San Jose Sharks (21-19-2, fifth Pacific) head to DC for their rare away game against the Washington Capitals (23-11-9, fourth Metropolitan), they will hope to hold the legendary Alexander Ovechkin off of the scoresheet, and not become another casualty as he attempts to catch Wayne Gretzky in the all-time goal-scorer race. So far this season, the Great 8 is currently ranked second in goals with 29, trailing only last week’s First Star, Chris Kreider.
The Capitals are a good team, there’s no doubt about that. They’ve made playoffs in 13 out of the last 14 seasons, and are on pace to finish in a top-three spot in the Metropolitan Division this season, as well.