The Washington Capitals (51-21-9) face the Pittsburgh Penguins (33-36-12) in a Metropolitan Division matchup on Thursday at 7 p.m. EDT. Washington is coming off a 3-1 victory over the New York Islanders, highlighted by Dylan Strome's hat trick.
Pittsburgh holds an 8-13-4 division record and a -48 scoring differential this season, while Washington boasts a 17-8-0 division record and a strong 48-2-6 mark when scoring at least three goals. In their previous meeting, the Capitals dominated with an 8-3 win, led by Jakob Chychrun's two goals.
Key players to watch include Sidney Crosby and Bryan Rust for the Penguins, who have shown strong offensive performances recently, and Alexander Ovechkin and Dylan Strome for the Capitals, with notable contributions over the last 10 games.
Both teams have had mixed results in their last 10 games, with the Penguins going 4-4-2 and the Capitals at 4-6-0. Neither team has any reported injuries heading into this matchup.