How to Watch
Game Time: 7:00 p.m. Pacific Time
TV: Fox Sports West, ESPN+ (Go here for more information on subscribing)
Radio: iHeart Radio
The Opposition: Japers’ Rink
What to Watch
- When Alex Ovechkin isn’t the Capital everyone’s talking about, watch out. Defenseman John Carlson is making and breaking records with his scoring this season. He has 40 points (9 goals, 31 assists) in 29 games, leads the Capitals in points, and is getting his name on lists with people like Bobby Orr, Denis Potvin, and Al MacInnis. He’s sixth overall on total points for the league, ahead of players like Jack Eichel, Jonathan Huberdeau, and Artemi Panarin. So while Ovechkin might be scoring all the goals (he leads the team with 20), Carlson is the one making many of the plays happen. Good luck covering him. /
John Carlson of the @Capitals is the first defenseman to reach the 30-assist mark in 29 or fewer games since Rangers icon Brian Leetch in 2000-01 (7-30—37 in 29 GP). #NHLStats pic.twitter.com/WQ7bJuAdGj
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) December 4, 2019
Aside from @JohnCarlson74 and Al MacInnis, only three other defensemen in NHL history have recorded 40 points in a season in 29 or fewer games: Bobby Orr (6x), Denis Potvin (2x) and Paul Coffey (1x). #NHLStats pic.twitter.com/VUGmvj4IhH
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) December 4, 2019
- The Kings will see two former teammates tonight — Nic Dowd and Brendan Leipsic both are slated to play together on the Capitals’ fourth line. Leipsic has eight points (three goals, five assists) in 29 games. Dowd, recently back from missing time with an injury, has six points (two goals, four assists) in 18 games.
- Nicklas Backstrom is a game-time decision for the Capitals. He’s missed time since late November with a vague injury but has been practicing and could draw back in, only making the Capitals even more of a terror to beat.
- The Kings’ success at home will be sorely tested tonight against one of the top teams in the league. (They are tied in points with Boston.) The Capitals have a record of 20-4-5 overall and 12-2-1 on the road. Not that it needs reinforcing, but the Kings have only won two road games period all season. If the Kings want to find a team to look up for, some aspirational life goals in terms of where the Kings would like to be, all they need to do is look at the Capitals, who have been quietly dominant all season long.
- For the Kings, they need to keep their game simple. Forget about special teams — that’s a problem that won’t be solved overnight. But many of their wounds have been self inflicted — too much passing in general, too much passing to players who are already covered in specific, for example — so getting back to fundamentals will be necessary. Yes, that means listening to the “shoot the puck” guy every so often. /
Lineups
Los Angeles Kings
Iafallo — Kopitar — Brown
Carter — Amadio — Toffoli
Kempe — Lizotte — Wagner
Clifford — Prokhorkin — Lewis
Ryan — Doughty
MacDermid — Walker
Hutton — Roy
Quick
Washington Capitals
Ovechkin — Kuznetsov — Wilson
Vrana — Backstrom — Oshie
Hagelin — Eller — Panik
Leipsic — Dowd — Hathaway
Kempny — Carlso
Orlov — Jensen
Siegenthaler — Gudas
Samsonov
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