It’s about to get serious for Chicago. The Blackhawks are on a four-game win streak, though those victories came against marginal teams. Tonight, they’re going to face the red-hot Capitals in Washington. Chicago is 4-2 in its last six games away from Windy City.
Momentum is still momentum and the Blackhawks will look to ride that into tonight’s game. Chicago’s offense has been a big part of the Blackhawks’ success of late with the team finding the back of the net 15 times the last four games. They’re going to find it tougher to score against the Capitals’ league-best defense, but the firepower of this team can’t be underestimated with the lethal attackers like Artem Anisimov (18 goals), Artemi Panarin (17), and Marian Hossa (16). Hossa scored a goal in the 3-2 home loss to Washington back in November 11.
Hopefully for Chicago, goalie Corey Crawford will do a better job in front of the net this time around, Crawford, who allowed three goals on 27 shots faced in the earlier meeting with Washington, is 3-1 with a 2.76 GAA and .906 SV% in four starts this January.
The Caps look to cool off Chicago for the second time this season. When they beat the Blackhawks in the aforementioned November showdown, the Caps effectively stopped Chicago’s win streak at seven games.
Washington is on a streak of its own, stitching together seven straight wins, a stretch that includes the Caps’ 5-2 whipping of top Cup contender Pittsburgh at home on Wednesday. Beating a team like Pittsburgh is definitely a big boost for the Caps, who are getting tremendous netminding from the ever-dependable Braden Holtby. The Caps have given up no more than two goals in six of their last seven games, including back-to-back shutouts of Columbus (5-0) and Ottawa (1-0).
Holtby allowed two goals on 34 shots faced in the previous matchup with Chicago and has been on a tear this month. In six January starts thus far, he has compiled a 5-0 record and a 1.31 GAA with .952 SV%.
Alex Ovechkin, meanwhile, is starting to heat up. He has four goals and three assists in his last five games. He scored twice in the Pittsburgh game.
Washington is 5-0 in its last five home games against the Blackhawks.
