Caps aim to hold off charging Blue Jackets

WASHINGTON -- Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals are getting hot at the right time.

With 10 regular-season games remaining, the Capitals (47-17-8) are 3-0-1 in their past four games. Ovechkin, after a dry spell, has six points in his past five games as Washington hosts the Columbus Blue Jackets (47-19-6) on Thursday night.

The teams are battling for Metropolitan Division, Eastern Conference and NHL lead in points. NHL-leading Washington holds a one-point edge on the Pittsburgh Penguins and a two-point lead on Columbus.

Ovechkin, who had a goal and an assist Tuesday in a 4-2 win over Calgary, is one goal away from becoming the third player in NHL history with 30 or more in each of his first 12 seasons. He also has 32 assists, his most since notching 53 in 2010-11.

"He's known as a great shooter," Capitals head coach Barry Trotz told 106.7 FM, "and he always will be, but some of his passes have been outstanding."

One of the beneficiaries of Ovechkin's largesse is linemate T.J. Oshie, the 30-year-old winger who reached the 30-goal plateau in a season for the first time when he scored against the Flames. That's despite missing 14 games.

"It's something that I always thought I could do," Oshie said. "I feel like I've worked pretty hard for it. But at the same time, I've got some pretty good players around me and without them, I don't think I get there."

That includes the center for the suddenly hot trio, Nicklas Backstrom, who's among the NHL leaders with 56 assists.

"They're very unselfish," Trotz said of his top line. They're trying to do what's best for the team, and if a guy's open, they'll get it over to him. I like that fact."

The last time Columbus visited Washington, they rolled in with a 15-game winning streak only to be blanked by the Capitals 5-0.

This team, there's no streak. After winning four straight, the Blue Jackets were beaten at home 5-2 by the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday night.

David Savard and Brandon Saad scored goals for Columbus, but the team failed to convert on a five-minute power play -- getting only one shot on goal -- after Toronto's Roman Polak boarded Blue Jackets rookie Oliver Bjorkstrand from behind early in the third period, with the Leafs leading 3-2.

Making matters worse, Bjorkstrand left the game and did not return.

"We needed to do something there and we didn't," Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella said. "We needed to at least generate some momentum, and we didn't do that. We just didn't have a lot of guys making plays tonight."

Toronto added a pair of late goals to clinch it, but Columbus won't have long to dwell on the loss.

"That's what's great about this game is we have a chance in Washington to get back on track, and we've done a good job of that," Blue Jackets winger Nick Foligno told the Columbus Dispatch.

Ovechkin has 14 goals and four assists in 24 games versus Columbus and Braden Holtby is 9-6-2 with a 2.64 goals against average against the Blue Jackets.

Sergei Bobrovsky was pulled after giving up five goals in the January loss at Washington, and for his career he's 6-6-3 with a 3.16 GAA versus the Capitals.

Columbus won the teams' first meeting of the season, 2-1 in overtime and the second, 3-2 in regulation, before the Washington shutout.

A regulation win for Columbus pulls them into a tie with Washington and the teams' final meeting, April 2, will be hosted by the Blue Jackets.

"We're trying to collect points right now," Trotz said. "We're going to get tested here. It's good. We've prepared all year for moments like this."