The names on the marquee getting all the attention tonight will be Alex Ovechkin and Patrik Laine as the league’s two top goal scorers – both sitting at 40 for the season – go head to head tonight in Washington. But beyond that headline match-up, the Jets limp into the US Capital banged up and beaten down a bit with a number of their top players still out with injury while others remain in slumps.

Banged up and road weary, the Jets now head into a back to back set to close out the six game road trip with a stop in Washington before going to Nashville on Tuesday. Patrik Laine has obviously been the biggest story for the team now, but this club could really use some secondary scoring help in a big way. Blake Wheeler hasn’t scored in his last seven games. Kyle Connor hasn’t scored in his last eight. Brian Little hasn’t scored in his last nine games. Mathieu Perreault has gone pointless in his last nine games played. Despite all this, the Jets have weathered the storm and are 7-3-0 in their last ten, but cracks are starting to show on this team and they need more of a team effort on offense going forward.

The Caps are yet once again in a race for the Metropolitan Division crown – they are one point behind the Penguins with two games in hand – and yet beyond Alex The Great, it seems to be doom and gloom in D.C. How else can you explain a headline such as “The Capitals may be in first place, but they sit on a throne of lies“? The Caps have been a meddling 5-5-0 over their last ten and their are questions about their defense and Brayden Holtby’s goaltending over the last three weeks. The Caps did look strong in a game against San Jose on Saturday with a 2-0 win thanks to a 24 save performance from Philipp Grubauer.

The Jets picked up a 4-3 win in overtime back a month ago on February 13 at home against the Capitals. That was the game where the Jets played awful for a large chunk of the game then in the last 10 minutes or so of it, the team rallied from two goals down – the game tying goal was a short handed goal with the goalie pulled – then Tyler Myers won it in overtime.  The Jets haven’t had a regulation win against the Caps since March of 2015.. So maybe they’re due?

The Caps are so tough in their own barn and the last thing the Jets need is to take on a team highly motivated to get on a winning streak at home. Washington will want to play the exact same way they did a month ago in Winnipeg, just close out the deal better. They likely will… Capitals win 5-2.