Preview: Coyotes Wrap Up Road Trip in Washington in Sunday Matinee

March 3, 2024 | 11:00 am MST | Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C.
TV: Arizona 61 | Radio: ESPN 620

Fresh off a 5-3 win over the Ottawa Senators on Friday, the Arizona Coyotes are set to wrap up their five-game road trip against the Capitals in Washington D.C. on Sunday afternoon.

The Coyotes and Capitals meet for the second-and-final time this season, as Arizona won the first meeting 6-0 on Dec. 4. Connor Ingram earned a 26-save shutout, while Nick Schmaltz scored twice and Logan Cooley, Michael Carcone, and Jason Zucker also added goals in the victory.

Forward Matias Maccelli extended his point streak to five games, notching three goals and four assists over that span. The 23-year-old has tied his career high of 11 goals, set just last season, and is just seven points shy of 50 on the year.

Lineups were not yet available, so the starting goalie was not yet clear at the time of posting. Karel Vejmelka made 34 saves in Friday’s win over the Senators, and is 1-3-0 with a 2.02 goals-against average and .938 save percentage in his career against Washington. Connor Ingram, meanwhile, shut the Capitals out earlier this season – his only career start against them – and is 17-15-3 with five shutouts, a 2.82 GAA and .909 SV% this season.

Player to Watch: Schmaltz has three goals and two assists over his last four games, and has three goals in 10 career games against Washington.

ABOUT THE CAPITALS
Washington is coming off a 5-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday, and is 5-1-1 over its last seven games. The Caps are fourth in the Metropolitan Division, four points behind the Flyers with two games in hand, and are also five points out of the Eastern Conference’s second Wild Card spot with three games in hand.

Dylan Strome leads the Capitals with 46 points on 22 goals and 24 assists, while Alex Ovechkin (44), John Carlson (35), Anthony Mantha (33), and Tom Wilson (26) round out the top five. The 26-year-old Strome began his career with the Coyotes, playing in 48 games over parts of three seasons in the desert.

Darcy Kuemper and Charlie Lindgren have split time in net this season, with the former posting a 13-12-2 record, 3.15 GAA and .893 SV%, while the latter is 13-9-5 with a 2.82 GAA and .908 SV%. Kuemper is another former Coyotes player who spent 121 games in Arizona, and is 6-2-3 with a 1.45 GAA and .942 SV% against his former team.

Lindgren has started five of Washington’s last six games.

The Capitals score the third-fewest goals per game (2.63) and allow the 14th-most at 3.12. Their power play ranks 22nd in the league with an 18.40 percent success rate, while their penalty kill percentage of 79.78 ranks 14th. They have fared much better at home this season, posting a 16-9-5 record at Capital One Arena.

Player to Watch: Strome is in the midst of a solid stretch, having recorded one goal and two assists in his last game while posting seven points over his last five games. The 26-year-old has five goals and two assists in 12 games against the Coyotes.