A surprising young Detroit squad faces a struggling Washington team. History looms as Patrick Kane chases a scoring record.
After breaking out in a big way, seeing career breakouts from many players across the roster and sitting far ahead in the standings above what everyone expected, the Washington Capitals took everyone by surprise last season.
They finished with a 51-22-9 record, the second-best in the NHL, but have since regressed into a subpar hockey club. Washington now sits outside the playoff picture with a 25-22-7 record, while another team has captured the same magic the Capitals experienced last season in the Detroit Red Wings.
The Motor City hockey club has been sensational this year in many of the same ways Washington dominated the league a season ago, with one key difference. Detroit’s roster is significantly younger and appears far better positioned for sustained success beyond this season.
Still, the Capitals aren't a team to take lightly as they still have the makings of the team they had last season. Despite their record, Washington has beat the likes of the Carolina Hurricanes, Montreal Canadiens, Minnesota Wild and Tampa Bay Lightning at different points this season. It should make for an exciting clash and could end up being a historic night.
Lineup Storylines
Wednesday could be another historic night in this Red Wings season as veteran winger Patrick Kane is one point away from breaking Mike Modano's record for most points by an American-born player. It was confirmed by John Buccigross that Modano will not be in attendance despite being a Livonia, Michigan native but he did confirm that when they would honor the record at the following home game, that Modano would make sure that he was there.
Detroit has been starting to show signs of mortality lately as they've been narrowly edging out wins over their last eight games with three overtime wins, two regulation losses and one overtime loss.
They've won just two games in regulation during this span with narrow margins going in the favor of the Red Wings but that could quickly change and flip against them. Washington hasn't been so lucky as they are long overdue for a shift in momentum with a 7-13-4 record over their last 24 games with the sixth-worst goals against per game average at 3.63 during this span.
If the Red Wings offense can drive the offense, they should be able to win this game and it starts with the bottom-six forwards. We know over Detroit's recent hot streak that the top six will do their part as the Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond duo have a combined 11 goals over the last 11 games while the lethal second line trio of Alex DeBrincat, Patrick Kane and the surprising breakout of the season Andrew Copp have also combined the same mark at 11 goals over the same 11-game stretch.
We know these units will produce but if they don't the bottom of the lineup outside of the recently hot James van Riemsdyk needs to find their spark. The third line is starting to make significant moves as rookie Emmitt Finnie has assists in two of his last three games, center J.T. Compher chipped in two goals during the Wings 5-1 rout over the Winnipeg Jets while van Riemsdyk has helped drive the offense for the unit with points in eight of his last 11 games, totaling four goals and eight assists for 12 points.
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This line chipping in would be a massive help and although scoring isn't expected from them, the fourth line getting a goal would be a massive help as well. The trio of forwards have all been riding lengthy point droughts with Mason Appleton at 13 games, Elmer Soderblom at 11 games and Michael Rasmussen saw a burst in production when playing with van Riemsdyk but has since gone ice cold with no points in ten games. If this unit can muster together even just one goal, it would go a long way.
On the opposing end, hockey legend Alex Ovechkin is always a threat to score, even at 40 years old. The league's greatest goal scorer is still doing his thing with 22 goals and 23 assists for 45 points in 54 games. His production at such a young age is miraculous but also speaks to the skill of his teammates.
Dylan Strome has emerged in Washington as a late career breakout with a career-best 82 points last season but has seen a step back this season with 42 points in 52 games. The surprise for this Capitals team this season has been winger Tom Wilson, who turned his physcial, gritty style of play into a true difference-making kind of player with a team-leading 46 points and plus-20 rating in 45 games and even earned himself a spot on Team Canada for the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Wilson has done very well playing with a relatively unknown 23-year-old kid named Justin Sourdif. The former Florida Panthers third-round pick has quietly broken out in a big way this season with 11 goals and 13 assists for 24 points and a plus-13 rating in 50 games.
The numbers may not seem impressive but Sourdif is a rookie, who entering this season hadn't played more than four NHL games. His rise into a top-six player for Washington has come out of nowhere and he will need to be watched by the Red Wings defense.
Goalie Matchup
Detroit: John Gibson (Season: 21-10-1 record, 2.60 GAA, .906 SV% | VS WSH: 4-6-4 record, 2.92 GAA, .906 SV% in 15 games)
Washington: Charlie Lindgren
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