SKATE SHAVINGS - News and Notes from Caps' Morning Skate 12/2

Sunday Matinee -The Caps finish up a quick two-game stop at home and start off the December portion of their 2018-19 regular season slate on Sunday afternoon when they host the Anaheim Ducks at Capital One Arena. Washington went 10-4-1 last month to match the franchise standard for most wins in November, set in 1985-86 and matched in 2010-11.

Streaking -Washington comes into Sunday's game with a seven-game winning streak, its longest since a nine-game spree midway through the 2016-17 campaign. The Caps' current winning streak is the team's third longest in the last six seasons, trailing only nine-game streaks in both '15-16 and '16-17.
In forging a 10-3-0 record in their last 13 games, the Caps have outscored the opposition by a combined 30-18 in five-on-five play over that span, and the team's .891 save pct. on high danger scoring chances is second best in the circuit over that span, according to naturalstattrick.com.
In their first 13 games of the season, the Caps were outscored 30-27 at five-on-five.

The Caps have played their best hockey of the young season over the last seven games, but they believe they're still capable of playing better. Although they got center Evgeny Kuznetsov back in their lineup in Friday's 6-3 win over New Jersey, the Caps are still playing without key performers Brooks Orpik (knee) and T.J. Oshie (upper body).
Six of the first seven wins in the streak came without Kuznetsov in the lineup, too.
"Obviously it's not ideal," says Caps goalie Braden Holtby. "It's not something you want in the season. But missing two of our skilled guys, two of the guys who put up a lot of the offense for us, and having them out of the lineup I think has helped us in a lot of ways, in figuring our the right way to play and the right way to win.
"We are playing a lot more structured and a lot more defensively sound because we have to; we need to win those tight games, those low-scoring games. So I think in the end, it's going to make us better. I just think we're a much better team when they're in the lineup. But I think that while they've been out, it's been a good chance to learn some other ways to grow our team."

Wounded Ducks -Anaheim has already rolled up a whopping total of 171 man games lost to injury this season. The Ducks have used 11 different defensemen and 21 different forwards in the first 28 games of the season, and they seem to have a lengthy list of injured players on a nightly basis.
Because of the spate of injuries, the Ducks have had a steady flow of players going to and from their AHL San Diego farm team. Five of the Ducks' top six picks from the last four drafts have seen action in Anaheim this season, including Isac Lundestrom, the 18-year-old center who was the Ducks' top choice (23rd overall) at the 2018 NHL Draft in Dallas.
Anaheim has been one of the league's most efficient teams at the draft table throughout the franchise's quarter century in the league. Seventeen of the 34 players the Ducks have deployed this season are Anaheim draft choices. Seven of those players are first-rounders, a total that will climb to eight whenever Corey Perry returns to active duty.

In The Nets - Holtby gets the start on Sunday against the Ducks, and he'll be carrying a five-game personal winning streak into the contest. Over the life of that streak, Holtby owns a 1.49 GAA and a .957 save pct. With 10 wins on the season, he is tied for sixth in the league.
Lifetime against the Ducks, Holtby is 3-2-0 with a 3.31 GAA and an .876 save pct.
We are expecting to see John Gibson in goal for the Ducks today. Gibson's .929 save pct. is sixth in the league among goaltenders with eight or more appearances, and he has won four of his last five starts. Over those five starts, Gibson owns a 2.20 GAA and a .934 save pct. Lifetime against the Caps, Gibson is 1-2-2 with a shutout, a 2.77 GAA and a .913 save pct.
All Lined Up - Here is how we expect the Caps and the Ducks will look when they meet on Sunday afternoon at Capital One Arena:
WASHINGTON
Forwards
8-Ovechkin, 19-Backstrom, 43-Wilson
13-Vrana, 92-Kuznetsov, 10-Connolly
65-Burakovsky, 20-Eller, 25-Smith-Pelly
18-Stephenson, 26-Dowd, 23-Jaskin
Defensemen
6-Kempny, 74-Carlson
9-Orlov, 2-Niskanen
29-Djoos, 22-Bowey
Goaltenders
70-Holtby
1-Copley
Injuries
44-Orpik (lower body)
77-Oshie (upper body)
Scratches
34-Siegenthaler
72-Boyd
ANAHEIM
Forwards
67-Rackell, 15-Getzlaf, 33-Silfverberg
37-Ritchie, 14-Henrique, 25-Kase
7-Cogliano, 17-Kesler, 64-Sherwood
23-Gibbons, 24-Rowney, 20-Aberg
Defensemen
32-Larsson, 42-Manson
26-Montour, 47-Lindholm
28-Petterson, 21-Dotchin
Goaltenders
36-Gibson
30-Miller
Injuries
4-Fowler (facial fracture)
5-Holzer (wrist surgery)
10-Perry (torn meniscus)
18-Eaves (back spasms)
63-Roy (upper body)
Scratches
45-Welinski
46-Street
76-Mahura