Kings at Capitals preview

KINGS (14-8-3) at CAPITALS (14-10-1)
7 p.m. ET; NBCSWA, FS-W, NHL.TV

Washington forwards Alex Ovechkin (five goals) and Nicklas Backstrom (four assists) have combined for nine points in three games since being reunited on the same line.
The Kings have won two straight games after a 1-6-1 stretch. They began a four-game road trip with a 4-1 victory against the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday and play the first of a back-to-back set.
Kings center Anze Kopitar has 17 points (six goals, 11 assists) in his past 16 games. Defenseman Drew Doughty is tied for second in the NHL in average time on ice (26:58) behind Minnesota Wild defenseman Ryan Suter (27:03).

Players to watch

Kings goalie Jonathan Quick (11-8-1, 2.28 goals-against average, .929 save percentage) is 7-2-0 against Washington.
Capitals goalie Braden Holtby (13-5-0, 2.59 GAA, .921 save percentage) has held opponents to two goals or fewer in eight of his past 11 starts (9-2-0, 2.41 GAA, .926 save percentage).

They said it

"The one thing with Washington that's maybe overlooked is that they have a lot of skill, but they play a real physical brand of hockey. Their forecheck is aggressive but physical and the forecheck is something they look to establish a lot of offense from." -- Kings coach John Stevens
"L.A. has gotten quicker, I think LA's [defensemen] are very active in the play. There's subtle changes, but their DNA is they've always been a very good defensive club." -- Capitals coach Barry Trotz

Kings projected lineup

Alex Iafallo -- Anze Kopitar -- Dustin Brown
Tanner Pearson -- Nicholas Shore -- Tyler Toffoli
Marian Gaborik -- Adrian Kempe -- Trevor Lewis
Jussi Jokinen -- Nic Dowd -- Jonny Brodzinski
Jake Muzzin -- Drew Doughty
Derek Forbort -- Christian Folin
Kurtis MacDermid -- Alec Martinez
Jonathan Quick
Darcy Kuemper
Scratched:Oscar Fantenberg, Torrey Mitchell
Injured:Jeff Carter (lower body), Kyle Clifford (upper body), Andy Andreoff (upper body)

Capitals projected lineup

Alex Ovechkin -- Nicklas Backstrom -- Tom Wilson
Jakub Vrana -- Evgeny Kuznetsov -- T.J. Oshie
Tyler Graovac -- Lars Eller -- Devante Smith-Pelly
Chandler Stephenson -- Jay Beagle -- Alex Chiasson
Dmitry Orlov -- Matt Niskanen
Brooks Orpik -- John Carlson
Christian Djoos -- Madison Bowey
Braden Holtby
Philipp Grubauer
Scratched:Brett Connolly, Taylor Chorney
Injured:Andre Burakovsky (fractured left thumb)

Status report

Capitals forward Nathan Walker was placed on waivers and will be assigned to Hershey of the American Hockey League if he clears at noon Friday. … Djoos returns to the lineup for the first time since Nov. 14 (six games). … MacDermid replaces Fantenberg. … Mitchell, acquired in a trade with the Montreal Canadiens on Nov. 23 for a conditional fifth-round draft pick, continues to deal with unresolved visa issues and will not play.

Stat pack

The Kings have successfully killed 17 of their past 19 penalties. … The Capitals can tie their record for home wins in November (eight).