5 Reasons to watch Bruins-Capitals

Two teams that have been headed in opposite directions face off when the Boston Bruins visit the Washington Capitals in the Wednesday Night Rivalry game (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, TVA Sports).
The Bruins and Capitals each have 31 points, but Boston is on a three-game winning streak after defeating the Florida Panthers 4-3 in overtime on Monday. Washington had lost three in a row before defeating the Buffalo Sabres 3-2 in OT on Monday.

The Capitals have swept the season series from the Bruins in each of the past two seasons. Boston hasn't won since a 4-2 victory at Verizon Center on March 29, 2014.
Here are five reasons to tune in:

Alex Ovechkin

Washington's captain is off to a slow start - for him. Ovechkin has 12 goals in 24 games, a 41-goal pace for a full season. That's pretty good for just about anyone else, but it would be a big drop-off for Ovechkin, who has scored at least 50 goals in each of the past three seasons. It's not as if he isn't trying; Ovechkin is among the NHL's busiest shooters, with 95. He's still a threat to score anytime he's on the ice, and after going five games without a goal, he's overdue.

NHL's best line?

When the line of Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak and Patrice Bergeron is on the ice, good things happen for the Bruins. The line ranks 1-2-4 in the NHL in shot attempt differential at 5-on-5; Marchand is first at plus-156, Pastrnak is second with 132 and Bergeron is fourth with 124. Numbers say no line in the NHL is anywhere near as good in driving play. Marchand leads the Bruins with 22 points and Pastrnak is No. 1 in goals with 15.

Tuukka time

After a middling season (by his standards) in 2015-16, Boston's Tuukka Rask is again among the NHL's best goaltenders. Entering Tuesday, he was tied for the League lead in victories (14), and his 1.68 goals-against average was second in the NHL. Rask's .939 save percentage is a huge jump from last season's .915. He has allowed 32 goals in 19 starts this season.

Better than his Vezina season?

Washington's Braden Holtby, the Vezina Trophy winner last season, has slightly better numbers than he did in 2015-16. Holtby's 2.14 GAA and .923 save percentage are improvements from 2.20 and .922 last season. However, he's almost assured of not matching last season's total of 48 victories; Holtby is 11-6-2, largely due to a lack of offensive support.

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Breaking the streak

Not only have the Capitals won their past six games against the Bruins, they've almost put a barricade in front of their net. Washington has outscored Boston 18-4 in the six victories and allowed no more than two goals in any game. It's the Capitals' longest winning streak against the Bruins since Washington entered the NHL in 1974.