Nicklas Backstrom has 19 goals centering the line with Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin and Alexander Semin. (Andy Devlin/Getty Images)
Detroit
A lot has happened since the Red Wings last faced the Washington Capitals.
That meeting took place Oct. 10 at Joe Louis Arena, one game after the Wings had lost Johan Franzen to a knee injury.
The Wings won, 3-2, on goals by Ville Leino, Jason Williams and Tomas Holmstrom. Chris Osgood got the victory, making 22 saves. Matt Bradley and former Michigan star Brendan Morrison scored for the Capitals.
The Wings have since lost numerous other players to injury, including Williams to a broken fibula and Holmstrom to a broken foot. Leino has been in and out of the lineup as a healthy scratch and has failed to deliver on the promise he demonstrated last season.
Despite the injuries, the Wings have actually allowed fewer goals than the Capitals: 124 in 48 games, compared to 136 in the same number of games.
But no team can score like the Capitals. They lead the league with a whopping 178, 18 more than the Blackhawks, the second-highest.
The Capitals have scored at least four goals in each of their last seven games and their average at home is four.
Alex Ovechkin, the team's newly named captain, is second in the league in goals with 30 and points with 64. He also leads the league in plus-minus at plus-28.
"I think both Ovechkin and (Nicklas) Backstrom are playing great," Henrik Zetterberg said. "Their line is one of the best in the league. It's always fun to play against them. You have to be aware of where they are at all times."
Eaves makes presence felt
There was a lot to like about Patrick Eaves ' game Sunday against the Blackhawks, even though he was an assist shy of the Gordie Howe hat trick (goal, assist, fight).
Eaves fought Chicago's Kris Versteeg , scored the tying goal in the third period and was second only to Darren Helm among forwards in penalty-killing time.
It's quite a change from the beginning of the season for Eaves, 25, who was a healthy scratch in six of the first 10 games.
"He's a gamer," Nick Lidstrom said. "He wasn't afraid to drop his gloves and get the team going. It was great to see him get that tying goal late in the third as well, so I thought he played real well for us (Sunday)."
Eaves, originally Ottawa's first-round pick (29th overall) in 2003, signed with the Wings as a free agent during the summer. He said it's been an easy transition for him.
"I just try to gain a little more confidence every day," Eaves said. "All the guys here make you feel comfortable when you're out on the ice so you don't think, you just play. They're so easy to play with because everyone's in the right spots and is highly skilled, so they've made it really easy on me."
dwakiji@detnews.com">dwakiji@detnews.com
By the numbers
11 Wings who have minus rating
8 Wings who finished with minus rating last season
-13 Kris Draper's plus-minus last season
+2 Kris Draper's current plus-minus
Hot in net
Wings goalie Jimmy Howard is third in the league in save percentage.
| Goalie, Team | G | Sv. | Save % |
| 1. Ryan Miller Buffalo | 39 | 1,135 | .936 |
| 2. Tuukka Rask Boston | 19 | 490 | .930 |
| 3. Jimmy Howard Detroit | 32 | 871 | .928 |
| 4. Miikka Kiprusoff Calgary | 42 | 1,120 | .926 |
| 5. Tomas Vokoun Florida | 38 | 1,196 | .926 |
Join the Conversation
The Detroit News aims to provide a forum that fosters smart, civil discussions on the news and events that we cover. The News will not condone personal attacks, off topic posts or brutish language on our site. If you find a comment that you believe violates these standards, please click the "X" in the upper right corner of the post to report it.