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Caps begin pivotal swing in Nashville

Tue 18th, March 2008

(Sports Network) - The Washington Capitals begin a crucial six-game road trip tonight in Nashville, where they will take on the Predators at the Sommet Center.

The Capitals enter play tonight two points behind Philadelphia for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with 10 games to go. The Flyers also have 10 games left on their schedule and host Atlanta tonight.

Washington is also just five points back of first-place Carolina in the Southeast Division. The Hurricanes do not play today.

The Capitals begin a road swing tonight that features favorable matchups in Chicago, Atlanta, and Tampa Bay, as well as a big test in Carolina. The club is 15-15-5 on the road this season.

Washington was last in action on Sunday, winning a 2-1 shootout against Boston. Viktor Kozlov scored in the third round of the shootout to lift the Capitals.

Sergei Fedorov scored in regulation for his first goal with the Capitals in nine games since being acquired from Columbus at the trade deadline. Cristobal Huet gave up one goal on 40 shots, making 17 saves in the third period, as Washington won its third straight.

Alex Ovechkin had an eight-game point streak broken. He had totaled nine goals and eight assists over that run to lift his point total to a league-high 99. Ovechkin is just a point shy of his second career 100-point season. He totaled 106 points as a rookie in 2005-06 en route to winning the Calder Memorial Trophy and would become the first player in team history to post two 100-point seasons.

Ovechkin has a career-high 57 goals this year and is trying to become the NHL's first 60-goal scorer since Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr of the Pittsburgh Penguins posted 69 and 62 goals, respectively, during the 1995-96 campaign.

Nashville is also in a contention for a playoff spot in the West, but is just outside the postseason picture. With 80 points, the ninth-seeded Predators trail a trio of teams -- Calgary, Vancouver and Colorado -- by four points for the final three playoff spots in the conference.

Nashville halted a three-game losing streak on Saturday, as Rich Peverley scored the go-ahead goal early in the second period and Dan Ellis was solid with 34 saves in a 3-1 victory over Detroit.

Ellis has started seven of Nashville's last eight games and has a 1.97 goals- against average in that span while going 4-3-0. In all four of those wins, he has allowed just one goal per game.

Dan Hamhuis and Jerred Smithson added goals in the win. Nashville was again without David Legwand, who missed his fourth straight test due to a bruised foot. He has 15 goals and 29 assists this season.

The Predators begin a four-game homestand tonight and will try to halt a four- game skid as the host club. Nashville is 20-12-4 overall this year at the Sommet Center.

Nashville has won its last two against Washington and will host the Capitals for the first time since February 13, 2004.

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