BLUES (44-22-9) at CAPITALS (53-15-5)
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FS-MW, CSN-DC, NHL.TV
Season series: The St. Louis Blues defeated the Washington Capitals twice last season, winning 4-3 on Feb. 1, 2015, behind two goals and one assist from Alexander Steen and a goal and assist from Vladimir Tarasenko. Alex Ovechkin scored two goals and had one assist for the Capitals. The Blues won 4-1 on Nov. 15, 2014, with David Backes and Jaden Schwartz each getting a goal and an assist. The teams play again on April 9 in St. Louis.
Blues team scope: Goalie Jake Allen will start for the first time in four games. Brian Elliott made his third straight start Friday (all shutout victories) in a 4-0 victory against the Vancouver Canucks that assured St. Louis of a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It was the Blues' third win in a row and ninth in 11 games. Allen started 10 straight games while Elliott was sidelined with a knee injury; in Allen's past two games, he's allowed nine goals on 43 shots. Allen won six straight starts prior to his previous two games. "I've felt my practices the last week have been great," Allen said. "Get a little bit of rest. Haven't faced [Washington] yet this year. Best team in the League all year, so it's going to be a challenge and I'm looking forward to it." Defenseman Jay Bouwmeester (upper-body injury) will not play; coach Ken Hitchcock hopes to have him back Tuesday against the Colorado Avalanche. The Blues are 6-4-0 on the second of back-to-back games.
Capitals team scope: Washington can clinch the Presidents' Trophy with one point; the Capitals' 111 points are 14 more than the Blues and Dallas Stars, who play earlier in the day at the San Jose Sharks. Goalie Philipp Grubauer could start after Braden Holtby made 22 saves in a 1-0 overtime victory Friday at the New Jersey Devils. Grubauer has played in 19 games, including 13 starts. Right wing T.J. Oshie (flu) did not play Friday against the Devils and his status for a potential first game against his former team will be a gameday decision. If Oshie can play, Stanislav Galiev is the likely candidate to be a healthy scratch. Coach Barry Trotz was happy with his team's patience against the Devils. "We didn't get too anxious,' he said. "I like the way we just managed the game. We played the game that was presented to us and really didn't give them too many chances." This is the first of a quick two-game homestand for Washington that concludes Monday against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Capitals are 9-2-1 on the second of back-to-back games.
Excellent goaltending has already helped the Washington Capitals and St. Louis Blues secure playoff berths.
The Blues, though, are expected to give Brian Elliott the day off.
While Braden Holtby's status unknown, the Capitals won't have to deal with the NHL's hottest goaltender Saturday night when it attempts to win the Presidents' Trophy.
The favorite for this season's Vezina Trophy and a potential Hart Trophy finalist, Holtby is 45-9-4 with a 2.21 goals-against average after making 22 saves in Friday's 1-0 overtime win at New Jersey. He's been even better at home, going 24-3-1 with a 2.07 GAA.
Holtby is a big reason why the Capitals (53-15-5) only need one point against St. Louis to secure their first Presidents' Trophy since 2009-10 and the top overall seed in the playoffs. However, they would also clinch it if Dallas loses at San Jose earlier in the day.
With nine games remaining, coach Barry Trotz isn't worried about Washington transitioning to the playoffs.
"The blessing is where we are so we can work on things and try things. The curse is where we are," he said. "I trust the group understands how important it is to ramp our game up so there are no surprises (when the playoffs start)."
The Capitals' position in the standings affords them the luxury of resting Holtby in favor of backup Philipp Grubauer, who is 8-6-1 with a 2.19 GAA in 19 games. Holtby, though, has stopped 74 of 76 shots while winning both of his meetings with the Blues.
St. Louis, tied with the Stars for first place in the West, will reportedly rest Elliott after his 15 saves in Friday's 4-0 win over Vancouver assured the club its fifth straight playoff appearance. He's made 71 saves while posting three straight shutouts, and he's got a 1.58 GAA and .944 save percentage while winning all eight decisions in his last nine starts.
"I think the guys are feeling it," Elliott said. "I'm kind of the beneficiary on the back end with how they're playing.
"We still have work to do and it's just the first step in the mountain climb here."
Jake Allen is hoping to benefit from that since he's got a 5.15 GAA while splitting two decisions over his last three starts - getting pulled once. This would be his first matchup with the Capitals, who are second in the NHL with 3.12 goals per game.
The Blues, though, are averaging 3.64 during a 9-2-0 stretch, with Robby Fabbri totaling 11 points after finding the net in each of the last two games. His 18 goals are the most by a St. Louis rookie since Patrik Berglund had 21 in 2008-09.
Vladimir Tarasenko leads the Blues with 34 goals, but he's scored only once over the past six games. He had a goal and assist in a 4-3 win at Washington on Feb. 1, 2015.
Alex Ovechkin had two goals and one assist in that meeting, giving him seven and 10 in 11 all-time. He leads the league with 43 goals but has been held to three over the past 13 games.
It's unclear if T.J. Oshie will be back after missing one game with the flu. The right wing spent his first seven seasons with the Blues before being traded to Washington last summer.
"I don't know. I haven't seen him. I haven't talked to him. We'll see where he is (Saturday)," Trotz said of Oshie's availability.
These teams conclude the regular season in St. Louis on April 9.
