The Capitals, who had their franchise-record 10-game road winning streak snapped last night in Dallas, visit the Chicago Blackhawks tonight for the first of two meetings between the teams this season. The Capitals are 7-1-0 following a loss this season. Washington is 49-43-11-3 all-time versus Chicago and 6-2-2 in their last 10 games against the Blackhawks. In 2023-24, the Capitals swept the season series with Chicago 2-0-0, outscoring the Blackhawks 8-3 over two games. In the Capitals’ lone visit to United Center last season, Dylan Strome scored the go-ahead goal in the second period and Nic Dowd added two goals to secure a 4-2 win. Strome (1g, 1a) and Dowd (2g, 0a) were two of six Capitals to record multiple points against the Blackhawks last season. The Capitals have earned at least one point in their last four games at United Center (3-0-1).
Strome scored his 11th goal of the season last night against Dallas and extended his point streak to four games (3g-1a–4p). Strome leads the Capitals in points with 38 (11g, 27a) in 30 games this season. He is the fourth Capital to record 38 or more points through 30 games since 2010-11, joining Alex Ovechkin (3x; most: 47 in 2021-22), John Carlson (42 in 2019-20) and Nicklas Backstrom (38 in 2018-19) (h/t NHL PR). The 27-year-old center ranks tied for 11th in the NHL in assists (27), tied for 13th in points (38) and tied for fourth in plus-minus (+17). Strome, whose 67 points (27g, 40a) last season led the Capitals and marked a career high, is on pace for 103 points this season.
Since joining Washington ahead of the 2022-23 season, Strome ranks first on the Capitals in games played (193), assists (109) and points (170) and second in goals (61). Strome recorded 154 points (60g, 94a) in 225 games with Chicago from 2018-19 to 2021-22. Originally drafted by the Arizona Coyotes with the third overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft, Strome averaged 0.68 points per game in parts of four seasons with Chicago, which ranked fifth on the team in that span.
