***** National Hockey League Previews from The Sports Network *****
                            Wednesday, February 22nd
                              (All Times Eastern)
 
 WASHINGTON CAPITALS (29-25-5) AT OTTAWA SENATORS (31-22-8), 7 P.M.
 
 (Sports Network) - With just one victory in their last six games, the
 Washington Capitals are desperate to get their postseason push back on track.
 
 The Caps hope they can bounce back tonight at Ottawa's Scotiabank Place, where
 they'll try to complete a season sweep of a Senators team that has been red-
 hot of late.
 
 Washington is 3-0 against the Senators this year and tonight's meeting is the
 final scheduled encounter of the regular season. All told, the Capitals have
 claimed six of the last seven matchups in this series overall and two of the
 last three in Canada's capital city.
 
 However, while the Caps are 1-4-1 in their last six games, Ottawa enters
 tonight riding a three-game winning streak. The Senators have outscored the
 opposition by an amazing 16-2 margin over the last three games and Ottawa has
 also posted a point in five straight tests (4-0-1) since a seven-game slide
 from Jan. 21-Feb. 7.
 
 This evening's game is also an important battle in the Eastern Conference
 playoff race. Ottawa is currently seventh in the conference and five points
 ahead of Toronto and Winnipeg. Washington is just outside the postseason
 picture, as it trails the Maple Leafs and Jets by two points.
 
 The Senators last played on Monday afternoon at Nassau Coliseum, where they
 dismantled the hosting New York Islanders by a 6-0 score. Erik Karlsson
 totaled four points on two goals and two assists as Ottawa chased Islanders
 goaltender Kevin Poulin before the game was two minutes old. Poulin was yanked
 after allowing scores 27 seconds apart to Karlsson and Jason Spezza in the
 first 1:35 of action.
 
 Spezza finished with two goals and is now leading Ottawa in both goals (27)
 and points (65) this season. The centerman has been on an absolute tear of
 late, notching seven goals and eight assists during a six-game point streak.
 
 "We got two days rest. Not many teams get that this time of year," Spezza said
 after Monday's rout. "And there's a benefit to playing games early on, because
 we can get some energy to move forward."
 
 Brian Lee and Chris Phillips added scores for Ottawa, which had 11 players
 record a point in the blowout. Craig Anderson stopped 28 shots to notch his
 third shutout of the season for the Senators.
 
 Ottawa's current winning streak came in the form of a perfect 3-0 road trip,
 but the team will kick off a three-game homestand tonight. The Sens have lost
 five of their last six tests at Scotiabank Place and are 15-11-3 as the host
 this year compared to a 16-11-5 mark on the road.
 
 Meanwhile, road play has been a trouble spot for Washington all season long
 and the club will be happy to complete a four-game road trip tonight. The Caps
 are 1-2 on the swing, dropping them to 10-17-3 on the road compared to a
 19-8-2 home record.
 
 Washington was dealt a lopsided loss by the last-place Carolina Hurricanes on
 Monday night, as Eric Staal had two goals and an assist and Justin Peters
 earned his first career NHL shutout in the 5-0 rout at RBC Center. Caps
 goaltender Tomas Vokoun lasted just over five minutes, as he was pulled at
 5:09 of the first period after goals by Justin Faulk and Anthony Stewart.
 
 Vokoun gave up two goals on seven shots and was replaced by Michal Neuvirth,
 who made 30 saves on 33 shots the rest of the way. The setback dropped the
 Capitals to 4-7-3 in their last 14 outings.
 
 "Normally you can try to take some positives out of a game. Tonight, nothing,"
 said the Caps' Troy Brouwer. "You can't wipe it clean because you have to take
 it in and make sure you know what you're doing wrong, make sure you know what
 you did wrong. We're going to watch a lot of video, I hope."
 
 Washington's Alex Ovechkin is expected to play tonight despite missing
 practice on Tuesday for what head coach Dale Hunter called a "maintenance
 day." The star winger didn't play in the final six minutes of the second
 period on Monday and although he did return in the third, Ovechkin was seen
 limping around after the game. Both Ovechkin and Hunter have said that the
 Russian superstar was not hurt and was instead bothered by an equipment
 problem.
 
 Ovechkin has just one goal and one assist over his last five games. With 24
 goals and 21 assists through 56 games this season, the 26-year-old is on pace
 for the lowest point total of his seven-year NHL career.
 
 BOSTON BRUINS (35-20-2) AT ST. LOUIS BLUES (36-16-7), 8 P.M.
 
 (Sports Network) - After closing out 2011 as the hottest team in the league,
 the new calendar year hasn't been as kind to the Bruins.
 
 The Blues have yet to drop a regulation game at home in 2012.
 
 St. Louis puts its franchise record 21-game home point streak on the line this
 evening as it looks to deal Boston its first three-game slide since late
 October.
 
 The Blues have been one of the more dominating teams this year on home ice,
 where they are 26-3-4 this season and haven't lost in regulation since Dec. 3.
 They have gone 18-0-3 at Scottrade Center since and sit fourth overall in the
 Western Conference with 79 points, five back of Detroit for first place.
 
 St. Louis comes into this test having won five straight at home and outscoring
 its opponents 16-3 in that span. However, the club fell to 10-13-3 on the road
 this season with Sunday's setback in Chicago and kicks off a six-game road
 trip tomorrow night in Nashville.
 
 Goaltender Brian Elliott was coming off a shutout win over the visiting Wild
 on Saturday and held the Blackhawks off the board through the first two
 periods before getting beat twice in the final frame. Chicago added an empty-
 net tally to hand St. Louis a 3-1 defeat.
 
 "We're a team right now that needs everybody to play at a high level for us to
 win on the road," said St. Louis head coach Ken Hitchcock. "The way we're
 built, we don't have offensive players to carry us. So if guys are not up to
 task it reflects on our game."
 
 Elliott made 24 saves and Andy McDonald scored in his third straight game for
 the Blues, who had won six of seven coming in. Patrik Berglund and Jamie
 Langenbrunner each posted an assist for a third straight game.
 
 Langenbrunner, though, suffered a broken left foot in the loss and was placed
 on injured reserve Tuesday. He is expected to be re-evaluated in four weeks.
 
 Goaltender Jaroslav Halak was scratched for the past two games due to the flu,
 but is expected to serve as at least the backup tonight after Ben Bishop was
 sent back to the minors. McDonald is also questionable due to flu-like
 symptoms.
 
 The Blues have a chance tonight to deal the Bruins their first three-game
 slide since Oct. 22-29. Boston followed that season-high slide by winning 10
 straight and 21 of their next 24, but have gone 11-11-1 since Dec. 31 and now
 own just a two-point edge over Ottawa for first place in the Northeast
 Division.
 
 The Bruins have lost six of nine this month and have been shut out four times
 in that span. That includes Sunday in Minnesota, where Boston was dealt a 2-0
 setback.
 
 Tim Thomas allowed two goals on 29 shots as Boston fell to 1-2 on a six-game
 road trip.
 
 "We're just shooting it right back into the goaltender. ... That's what
 happens when things aren't going your way," Bruins head coach Claude Julien
 said.
 
 The Blues have won nine of their last 11 versus the Bruins, with three of the
 past six encounters ending in shootout fashion. That includes St. Louis' 2-1
 victory at Boston in the lone meeting last season.
 
 The Bruins have won their last two trips to St. Louis and haven't lost in
 regulation as the road club in this series since Dec. 18, 1999.
 
 LOS ANGELES KINGS (27-21-12) AT COLORADO AVALANCHE (29-27-4), 9 P.M.
 
 (Sports Network) - Last night, the Kings found the offense they have been so
 sorely lacking but it still resulted in a third straight loss.
 
 Los Angeles looks to rebound this evening and avoid a season series sweep at
 the hands of the hosting Colorado Avalanche.
 
 The Kings' struggles with scoring have been well documented this season, with
 the club ranking dead last in the NHL with 124 goals. They have been shut out
 eight times on the season, including consecutive 1-0 setbacks going into last
 night's meeting at Phoenix.
 
 Los Angeles looked to have blasted out of its funk after getting goals from
 Drew Doughty, Andrei Loktionov and Dustin Brown in the game's first 15
 minutes, but some poor discipline ultimately resulted in a 5-4 shootout loss.
 
 The Kings, who also got a goal from Justin Williams, allowed a pair of power-
 play goals early in the second and also saw Phoenix net the game-tying goal
 while up a man after winger Kyle Clifford was whistled for a game misconduct
 for a shot to the head of the Coyotes' Gilbert Brule.
 
 Brown tied the shootout in the second round, but Mikkel Boedker responded by
 beating Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick and Jack Johnson missed the net as the
 final skater.
 
 Quick ended with 25 saves as the Kings lost for the fifth time in six games.
 
 "When you give up three power-play goals on the road, you're going to have a
 tough time winning," Kings head coach Daryl Sutter said.
 
 Though Los Angeles will be trying to avoid its longest losing streak since a
 five-game skid from Dec. 3-13, the point earned last night did give it sole
 possession of eighth place in the Western Conference. The Kings moved one
 ahead of the Flames, while the Avalanche sit four back of the final playoff
 position.
 
 Colorado can close the gap this evening with its first season series sweep of
 Los Angeles since relocating from Quebec. The Avalanche had lost seven of
 eight to the Kings, including getting swept in the four-game series last year,
 before outscoring Los Angeles 8-4 in the three meetings this year.
 
 The Avs snapped a three-game home losing streak to the Kings with a 3-2 win
 back on Oct. 30 and should have a bit of a tougher edge tonight after
 acquiring forward Steve Downie from the Lightning on Tuesday for defenseman
 Kyle Quincey.
 
 Downie had 12 goals, 28 points and 121 penalty minutes in 55 games with Tampa
 Bay this year and logged 14 points in 17 playoff games last season in the
 Lightning's march to the Eastern Conference finals.
 
 "Our organization believes that Steve Downie will add grit and skill to our
 lineup offensively," said Avalanche general manager and executive vice
 president Greg Sherman. "He plays the game with an edge and we look forward to
 seeing the immediate and future impact he can bring to our team."
 
 Colorado made the move days after a 5-1 loss in Winnipeg, its third loss in
 four games.
 
 "Overall, we just weren't good enough tonight in all areas of the game. I
 don't think we had everybody here on deck tonight," Avalanche head coach Joe
 Sacco said.
 
 Gabriel Landeskog lit the lamp for Colorado and Semyon Varlamov allowed all
 five goals on 25 shots to take the loss.
 
 
 
 
 
 02/22 11:04:14 ET