NHL Grind Down: Wednesday, March 9th - Page Two
Washington Capitals at Los Angeles Kings – 10:30 PM EST
| Washington Capitals | Los Angeles Kings | ||||||||
 | Braden Holtby |  | Jonathan Quick | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 49-13-4 | 39-22-4 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 3.18 | 2.27 | 23.30% | 84.80% | Team Stats | 2.66 | 2.26 | 22.20% | 81.10% |
The night-cap is highlighted by a potential Stanley Cup Finals previews between the NHL leading Washington Capitals and the Los Angeles Kings. The Capitals kicked off their tour of California with a very hard fought shootout victory against the Anaheim Ducks on Monday night for their fourth win in five games. Despite being outshot by the Kings 40-32 in their only other meeting this season, Washington did escape with a 3-1 victory back in mid-February. The month of March hasn’t been overly kind to Alex Ovechkin, but he’ll still take the ice at the Staples Center with more goals (41) than anyone else in the league. He’ll be joined by Nicklas Backstrom and T.J. Oshie on the top line and #1 power-play unit and all three are fine options on a nightly basis. However, with Darryl Sutter likely choosing to match them with the defensively sound line of Milan Lucic, Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown, it’s Evgeny Kuznetsov that looks to have the nicest matchup. Kuznetsov actually leads the team with 67 points in 66 games and his +31 is the best in the entire league. Kuznetsov scored a goal against Los Angeles in that first meeting and still seems to be slightly underpriced on most sites. With John Carlson still watching from the press-box with a lower-body injury, Matt Niskanen will continue to see all the work he can handle on the Capital’s blue-line. He’s chipped in two goals and an assist in five games this month and has the luxury of joining Ovechkin on the point of the #1 power-play unit. With a price-tag a fraction of what Carlson’s was before the injury, he’s a very nice dollar-for-dollar option on defense.
After building a huge lead in the Atlantic Division during the first half of the 2015-16 season, the Kings seemed to shift into “cruise control” down the stretch. Unfortunately for them, both the Anaheim Ducks and San Jose caught fire and the Kings saw their huge lead evaporate. Although they’ve now been passed up by Anaheim, Los Angeles looks to have put their foot back on the gas pedal and have now posted a 6-2-0 record in their last eight games. They’ll be looking to avenge an earlier loss to the Capitals tonight at the Staples Center and send a message to the entire league that they’re ready to take a run at Lord Stanley. Kopitar leads the team with 58 points and has picked up points in four straight games. He’ll play alongside Milan Lucic and Dustin Brown on the top line and center Jeff Carter and Tyler Toffoli on the top power-play line. He’ll have some added defensive responsibilities as he tries to slow down Alex Ovechkin, but he lit the lamp against Washington in that first meeting and is still a fine play tonight. Carter potted a pair of goals against Vancouver on Monday and will likely be counted on even more heavily in the offensive end tonight. On defense, both Drew Doughty and Jake Muzzin have put up big numbers offensively this season and see plenty of run on the top power-play unit.
Washington Capitals
CF%: 50.4, CP60: 110.1, 5×5 Differential: 36
Elite Options: Alex Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov
Secondary Options: Nicklas Backstrom, T.J. Oshie, Justin Williams, Matt Niskanen
Los Angeles Kings
CF%: 56.3, CP60: 110.5, 5×5 Differential: 10
Elite Options: Anze Kopitar, Drew Doughty
Secondary Options: Jeff Carter, Tyler Toffoli, Milan Lucic, Jake Muzzin