Capitals at Blackhawks preview

CAPITALS (33-17-7) at BLACKHAWKS (24-26-8)
8:30 p.m. ET; WGN, NBCSWA, NHL.TV

The Blackhawks (0-7-1) last lost nine straight games from Jan. 21-Feb. 13, 2012 (0-8-1). They are 12 points behind the Minnesota Wild for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference.
It will be the 1,500th NHL game for Washington Capitals coach Barry Trotz, who will become the fifth coach to reach the milestone.
The Capitals, who are 3-0-2 in their past five games, are three points ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins for first place in the Metropolitan Division, with two games in hand.

Players to watch

Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin has 12 points (four goals, eight assists) in his past seven games, including two goals and five assists in a three-game point streak.
Blackhawks rookie forward Alex DeBrincat has 10 points (seven goals, three assists) in his past 10 games, including two goals and two assists in a three-game point streak.

They said it

"Have you heard the crowd? Have you heard the national anthem? I've spent many nights in here feeling like I was under water. They come at you hard, they've got a lot of energy on a Saturday here and it's a fantastic building to play in. I said to the dads, it will be a great experience. Chicago does it right." -- Capitals coach Barry Trotz
"The pressure shouldn't be [worrying] about a playoff spot tonight like it was the first 45-50 games or so. We'll still go into today's game thinking something could happen, but you've got to play your game. ... You have to have a purpose and play with detail and passion as well. But certainly go out there, have some fun and play the right way." -- Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville

Capitals projected lineup

Alex Ovechkin -- Nicklas Backstrom -- Tom Wilson
Alex Chiasson -- Evgeny Kuznetsov -- T.J. Oshie
Andre Burakovsky -- Lars Eller -- Brett Connolly
Chandler Stephenson -- Jay Beagle -- Devante Smith-Pelly
Christian Djoos -- John Carlson
Dmitry Orlov -- Matt Niskanen
Brooks Orpik -- Madison Bowey
Braden Holtby
Philipp Grubauer
Scratched:Taylor Chorney, Jakub Vrana
Injured:None

Blackhawks projected lineup

Brandon Saad -- Jonathan Toews -- Tommy Wingels
Lance Bouma -- Nick Schmaltz -- Patrick Kane
Patrick Sharp -- Ryan Hartman -- Alex DeBrincat
Vinnie Hinostroza -- Artem Anisimov -- Tomas Jurco
Duncan Keith -- Jordan Oesterle
Michal Kempny -- Brent Seabrook
Carl Dahlstrom -- Erik Gustafsson
Anton Forsberg
Jean-Francois Berube
Scratched: Anthony Duclair, David Kampf, Connor Murphy
Injured: Corey Crawford (upper body), Michal Rozsival (upper body), Jan Rutta (undisclosed)

Status report

The Blackhawks held an optional morning skate. Anisimov participated after missing practice on Friday and is expected to play. ... Chiasson and Bowey will draw back into the lineup because Trotz said everyone would play during the dad's trip.

Stat pack

The Blackhawks have scored two goals or fewer in six consecutive games, and eight of the past nine. ... Kane has no points in his past five games, his longest point drought since the 2008-09 season, and one goal in 13 games. ... Kuznetsov has 11 points (two goals, nine assists) in his past nine games.