Music: {allcanada} CAPITALS (43-25-10) at SENATORS (39-26-12)

Friday, April 3, 2015

{allcanada} CAPITALS (43-25-10) at SENATORS (39-26-12)

ESPN Fantasy Baseball / Yahoo Fantasy Baseball

Saturday, April 4, 2015

7:00 PM ET

CAPITALS (43-25-10) at SENATORS (39-26-12)

TV: NHLN-US, SN, TVA Sports, CSN-DC

Season series: The Washington Capitals are going for a three-game sweep of the Ottawa Senators. Washington goaltender Braden Holtby stopped 63 of 65 shots in the two victories.

Capitals team scope: Washington can clinch a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs by defeating Ottawa in regulation. The Capitals start the day tied with the New York Islanders for second place in the Metropolitan Division after a 5-4 shootout win against the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday. "Everything is in our own hands," coach Barry Trotz said Friday after practice at Canadian Tire Centre when asked about finishing second, which would give the Capitals the home-ice edge in an Eastern Conference First Round series. "I'm a big believer that if you work for stuff, you earn it. If you can earn it on your own, I think that's the way you want to go." Holtby is expected to start for the 22nd consecutive game, which would match the franchise record set by Wayne Stephenson in 1979-80. Alex Ovechkin continues to drive the offense; he has five goals in Washington's past three games and leads the NHL with 52.

Senators team scope: Ottawa enters the first of back-to-back games this weekend three points out of a playoff berth with five games remaining. The Senators play at the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday. Goaltender Andrew Hammond is 16-1-1 with a 1.80 goals-against average and a .940 save percentage after leading the Senators to a 2-1 overtime victory against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday. Ottawa has gotten an offensive boost from rookie forward Mark Stone, who scored the Senators' lone goal in regulation and assisted on Patrick Wiercioch's overtime winner against Tampa Bay, giving him three goals and 11 points in his past nine games and 40 points in 42 since Dec. 29. The 22-year-old is third on the team with 56 points, including 20 goals.

Team Stats