On Tap: Canucks visit Capitals looking to end three-game skid

Welcome to the NHL On Tap. Three NHL.com writers will share what they are most looking forward to on the schedule each day. Today, their choices from the one game Sunday.

Canucks look to get back on track

The Vancouver Canucks (16-18-3) will look to end a three-game losing streak when they visit the Washington Capitals (21-8-9) on Sunday (2 p.m. ET; NHLN, SN, TVAS, NBCSWA, NHL LIVE). The Canucks were 8-0-1 after Bruce Boudreau replaced Travis Green as coach Dec. 5 but have since lost three straight road games in regulation to the Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning and Carolina Hurricanes by a combined 13-5. Vancouver is seventh in the Pacific Division and needs to return to its winning ways if it plans on battling for a playoff spot in the second half of the season. Forward J.T. Miller has scored 17 points (four goals, 13 assists) in his past 15 games for the Canucks. -- Mike G. Morreale, staff writer

Ovechkin can take goals, points lead

Alex Ovechkin can take the NHL lead in goals and/or points Sunday. The Capitals forward, who scored his 25th goal and 53rd point in a 2-0 win at the New York Islanders on Saturday, is one goal (26) and one point (54) behind Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl. He has scored three points (one goal, two assists) in a three-game point streak and had admitted to playing hurt recently. Ovechkin has scored nine goals and 17 points in 20 games against the Canucks and his 755 goals are fourth in NHL history, 11 behind Jaromir Jagr (766). -- Mike Zeisberger, staff writer

A case for the defense

There are so many good young defensemen in the NHL right now that somehow Quinn Hughes sometimes flies under the radar. The Canucks defenseman shouldn't. He has scored 28 points (two goals, 26 assists) in 36 games this season. Since the start of the 2019-20 season, five defensemen have scored more points than Hughes, who has scored 122 points (13 goals, 109 assists) in 160 games. Capitals defenseman John Carlson tops the list with 151 points (33 goals, 118 assists) in 159 games; he has scored 32 points (eight goals, 24 assists) in 38 games this season. Victor Hedman of the Tampa Bay Lightning (140 points), Roman Josi of the Nashville Predators (137), Cale Makar (130) of the Colorado Avalanche and Adam Fox of the New York Rangers (128) are the other players on the list. -- Shawn P. Roarke, senior director of editorial
Vancouver Canucks at Washington Capitals (2 p.m. ET; NHLN, SN, TVAS, NBCSWA, NHL LIVE)
Vancouver goalie Thatcher Demko has lost three straight starts after going 7-0-0. He allowed 10 goals in that seven-game stretch, and 12 over the past three games. Washington is 1-2-2 in its past five games and could be without forward T.J. Oshie, who left the Capitals' win against the New York Islanders on Saturday with an upper-body injury.
Edmonton Oilers at Winnipeg Jets, postponed