'NHL Network Showcase': 3 Storylines for Capitals vs. Devils

The New Jersey Devils host the Washington Capitals for the second of eight games against their rivals in the MassMutual East Division on Saturday (1 p.m. ET; NHLN, MSG+, NBCSWA, NHL.TV) in the "NHL Network Showcase presented by SAP."

The Capitals (10-5-4) defeated the Devils 4-3 in Washington on Feb. 21 with two power-play goals and an assist from forward T.J. Oshie, and two points each from defenseman John Carlson (one goal, one assist) and center Nicklas Backstrom (two assists). They're 4-1-1 following a four-game losing streak and are tied for first place in East with the Boston Bruins.
The Devils (7-6-2) play their seventh game since a 16-day pause in their season because of NHL COVID-19 protocols and are five points behind the fourth-place Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers. The top four teams in each division will qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
New Jersey ended a three-game losing streak with a 4-3 overtime win against the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday.
Here are 3 storylines to keep an eye on:

Dynamic duo

Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin is six goals from passing Phil Esposito (717) for sixth in NHL history and six points from 1,300. He's one-half of a formidable combination with Backstrom, who leads Washington with 24 points (nine goals, 15 assists) and has scored at least one point in 15 of 19 games. Backstrom is one assist from becoming the fifth Sweden-born player with 700 in the NHL (Nicklas Lidstrom, 878; Henrik Sedin, 830; Mats Sundin, 785; Daniel Alfredsson, 713) and third active player (Joe Thornton, 1,095; Sidney Crosby, 810). Anaheim Ducks center Ryan Getzlaf has 697.

Emerging Devils core

Forward Pavel Zacha leads the Devils with 12 points (five goals, seven assists). He has scored 10 points in an eight-game point streak (three goals, seven assists). Jack Hughes is second on the Devils with 11 points (four goals, seven assists) and is showing the form that made the 19-year-old center the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NHL Draft.

Devils' durability

New Jersey is scheduled to play its fourth game in seven days, the first of a back to back against Washington, and will play four games a week in eight of the final 10 full weeks of the season. Whether the Devils can compete for the playoffs could depend on their stamina.