Devils at Capitals preview

DEVILS (17-22-7) at CAPITALS (31-11-5)
7 p.m. ET; NBCSWA, MSG+ 2, NHL.TV

Samsonov, who earned his first NHL shutout with 23 saves in a 2-0 win against the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday, will start consecutive games for the first time this season. He's 8-0-0 with a 1.62 goals-against average and .939 save percentage in his past nine starts.
The Capitals are 4-2-0 in their past six games and 9-7-0 in their past 16.
Louis Domingue is expected to make his fourth straight start for the Devils, who are 2-3-1 in their past six games, including a 5-1 win at Washington on Saturday. Domingue allowed five goals on 19 shots in a 7-4 loss at the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday.

Players to watch

Devils forward Nico Hischier has no points in his past two games after having 10 points (six goals, four assists) in his previous eight.
Capitals forward Jakub Vrana has seven points (five goals, two assists) in a six-game point streak.

They said it

"We know how we need to counter their attack and counter their offense. It's a dynamic offense with Washington. They have four lines that can score, that can create, so for us it's the same mindset. It's more of a mindset than it is tactics. We just have to make sure we have the right mindset."-- Devils coach Alain Nasreddine
"He obviously played phenomenal last game. I'd like to see him against Jersey, back-to-back home games. I think he's earned it. Now it's a chance for him to take another step. We continue to give him different challenges, one after another here without overwhelming him. I think that this is the right move, fair move…and now we'll see how he does in a situation like this."-- Capitals coach Todd Reirden on Ilya Samsonov

Devils projected lineup

Miles Wood -- Nico Hischier -- Jesper Bratt
Blake Coleman -- Travis Zajac -- Nikita Gusev
Pavel Zacha -- Jack Hughes -- Wayne Simmonds
Jesper Boqvist -- Kevin Rooney -- John Hayden
Andy Greene -- P.K. Subban
Damon Severson -- Sami Vatanen
Will Butcher -- Connor Carrick
Louis Domingue
Cory Schneider
Scratched:Mirco Mueller
Injured:Ben Street (upper body), Kyle Palmieri (lower body), Mackenzie Blackwood (upper body)

Capitals projected lineup

Alex Ovechkin -- Nicklas Backstrom -- Tom Wilson
Jakub Vrana -- Evgeny Kuznetsov -- T.J. Oshie
Carl Hagelin -- Lars Eller -- Richard Panik
Brendan Leipsic -- Nic Dowd -- Garnet Hathaway
Jonas Siegenthaler -- John Carlson
Dmitry Orlov -- Nick Jensen
Michal Kempny -- Radko Gudas
Ilya Samsonov
Braden Holtby
Scratched:Travis Boyd
Injured:None

Status report

Rooney did not participate in the morning skate because of an illness and will be a game-time decision. If he doesn't play, Mueller will dress as a seventh defenseman. Hughes, who left the game against Toronto because of an illness, will also be a game-time decision. Nasreddine said Blackwood, a goalie who has missed the past three games, is "very close" to returning, and that Palmieri, a forward who has missed the past two games, could return Saturday against the Columbus Blue Jackets. … The Capitals had an optional morning skate.

Stat pack

Wood has four points (two goals, two assists) in a three-game point streak. … Simmonds has an assist in each of his past three games. … Ovechkin has four goals in his past four games. … The Capitals are 7-7-1 against Metropolitan Division teams this season.