Capitals vs. Red Wings: Lines, Notes & How to Watch

Alex Ovechkin hasn’t scored a goal against the Detroit Red Wings this season and yet he has put a scare into the Red Wings on a few occasions.

The Red Wings always have a “Beware of Ovi” sign in the back of their mind. He has 29 goals this season, and is currently playing with Dylan Strome and Tom Wilson.

“I’m still in awe of Ovi,” Detroit coach Derek Lalonde said. “The game we beat them 8-3, he had the puck on his stick in the slot 90 seconds into the game. The point we got in Washington, we grind out to get to 3-3, there’s a minute and half left and he walks in all alone on the goalie. It’s an uncanny instinct for that high scoring area.”

The Ovi factor will be in play tonight when the Washington Capitals visit Little Caesars Arena with the final Eastern Conference wildcard spot on the line. The Red Wings have a one-point lead over Washington. Each team has five games left.

Lalonde said the key against the Capitals is not “giving them easy offense, play with pace.”

“I think it’s more about us and our game,” Lalonde said. “They have some elite talent.”

Our Detroit Red Wings (38-31-8, 84 pts) play their biggest game so far this season tonight, as they host the Washington Capitals (36-30-11, 83 pts) in their hunt for the final playoff spot. The LCA should be absolutely rockin' tonight! 👍 👊 #LGRW pic.twitter.com/SzdGOy95zV

— Dan Clynick (@dclynick66) April 9, 2024

Game Time

Tuesday: Washington at Detroit

Where: Little Caesars Arena

TV/RADIO: ESPN/97.1 FM

Time: 7 p.m.

Capitals Preview

Since beating Detroit in overtime in D.C., the Capitals have lost six in a row. The.y picked up a point in two of those games. The Caps haven’t scored more than two goals in any of those losses. After scoring eight goals in a five-game span last month, Ovechkin has tallied three in his past seven games… In goalie Charlie Lindgren’s last five starts, he has given up 19 goals and has had only one game save percentage above .900. According to NHL game, defenseman Rasmus Sandin (upper body) won’t play on Washington’s two-game road trip.  Forward T.J. Oshie (upper body) is on the trip…Even with Ovechkin playing, the Capitals rank 28th in the NHL with a scoring average of 2.65 goals per game. They rank 20th with a 3.17 team goals-against average.

Head coach Spencer Carbery speaks to the media following today’s practice at MedStar Capitals Iceplex to discuss Tuesday’s upcoming game in Detroit.#ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/iF0v5Az8Cr

— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) April 8, 2024

Red Wings Preview

Alex Lyon will be making his fifth consecutive start tonight. In his past four starts, he has stopped 141 of 150 shots (.940 save percentage). Asked whether Lyon would be in net the rest of the way, coach Derek Lalonde said: “No, it’s game by game. We’ve asked a lot of Alex. Last night was the start of six games in 10 days to finish the season. Different games look different for a goaltender. Last night was a volume game. He was on his toes the last 30 minutes of that game, especially in the third period. It’ll be game by game…Michael Rasmussen will still be out of the lineup for the third consecutive game with an upper body injury…

#RedWings lines at the skate before tonight’s game vs. Capitals (7 on ESPN)
Perron-Larkin-Raymond
DeBrincat-Compher-Kane
Fabbri-Copp-Fischer
Veleno-Czarnik-Sprong
Chiarot-Walman (for Seider)
Edvinsson-Petry
Maatta-Gostisbehere
Holl
Lyon starting. Reimer backup.
Seider not skating pic.twitter.com/8ooeTZFaPO

— Ansar Khan (@AnsarKhanMLive) April 9, 2024

The Red Wings are hoping that Alex DeBrincat emerges from his scoring slump. He has 24 goals, but only one in his past 18 games…Patrick Kane has 12 points in his past 12 games…Lucas Raymond has been one of Detroit’s consistent scorers during the drive to earn the wildcard spot. He has 12 points (nine goals and three assists) in his last 13 games. Raymond recorded his 40th multiple-point game against Buffalo. He is the eighth Red Wings player age 22 or younger with 40 career multi-point games, joining Steve Yzerman (105), Marcel Dionne (67), Gordie Howe (67), Sergei Fedorov (62), Dale McCourt (51), Mike Foligno (43) and Dylan Larkin (41 GP).