The Washington Capitals will look for their sixth straight victory when they host the Edmonton Oilers at 7 p.m. at the Verizon Center. The Capitals will play without Nicklas Backstrom, who has a thumb injury, but you'd think they'd still have enough to top the lowly Oilers.
Backstrom's absence means youngster Marcus Johansson will be the first-line center. Backstrom is missing the first game of his NHL career, so it will be interesting to see how Johansson meshes with Alex Ovechkin.
The Oilers come in as the worst team in the league, with only 54 points all season. They have just 23 wins on the season and are a full six points behind any other Western Conference team. Only Ottawa, at 55 points, is within striking distance of them. The Caps have a tendency of playing down to the competition, but a loss here would truly be damaging.