The Washington Capitals look to extend their Metropolitan Division and Eastern Conference lead to six points over the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Capitals are four points ahead of the Blue Jackets; each has five games remaining but this is the last against each other. Washington has two more regulation/overtime wins (ROW), which is the first tiebreaker at the end of the season. The Capitals have a three-point lead on the Chicago Blackhawks for the Presidents' Trophy with one game in hand and three more ROW. The Capitals' 6-3 loss at the Arizona Coyotes on Friday was their first in regulation in nine games (7-1-1), since March 12 at the Anaheim Ducks. "We've got away from the things we were having success with," goaltender Braden Holtby said after the game. "To be honest, the last two periods here, we got back to that. It was a bit of a wake-up call. Maybe it was a good thing at this time because we've got a big game against Columbus." The Capitals look forward to the challenge of playing the Blue Jackets with Stanley Cup Playoffs positioning at stake. "You should be happy you're playing big games this time of the year. Columbus is a big one," forward Justin Williams said Friday. Washington knows the gap could have been bigger; Columbus lost 3-1 at the Blackhawks on Friday. "We've been working all year to try to get some separation," Capitals coach Barry Trotz said Friday. "We had an opportunity and we let it slip away." Forward Alex Ovechkin is two goals from tying Guy Lafleur (560) for 25th place on the NHL list and is tied with Alexander Mogilny (1,032 points) for second place in scoring among Russia-born players in the NHL, trailing Sergei Fedorov (1,179).
