Is there a genuine debate about who should back up Linus Ullmark when he's healthy enough to play again? Could the Senators lean on both?

TOP PERFORMERS: Adam Gaudette has scored 14 goals with five assists for the Senators. Ridly Greig has three goals and one assist over the last 10 games. Pierre-Luc Dubois has seven goals and 27 assists for the Capitals. Tom Wilson has six goals and three assists over the last 10 games.

The Washington Capitals, with Tom Wilson, will be on the ice Thursday at 7:00 PM ET, against the Ottawa Senators. Fancy a bet on Wilson in the Capitals-Senators matchup? Use our stats and information to help you.

That’s what happened with the Ottawa Senators and Jakob Chychrun ... In overtime, Merilainen made a wonderful kick save on Tom Wilson on a breakaway, only to get serenaded with “Leevi ...

Opening faceoff is at 7 p.m. ET and you can watch it on ESPN+ ( plans start at $11.99/month). Washington (29-10-5, in the Metropolitan Division) last played on Tuesday night and beat visiting Anaheim 3-0 as Logan Thompson stopped all 19 shots. The Capitals are 6-1-3 in their last 10 games.

The Capitals will look to keep trending in the right direction against Ottawa, as Jakob Chychrun makes his return for the first time since being traded.

The 39-year-old winger took a pass from Rasmus Sandin on a 2-on-1 breakaway and fired it past rookie Leevi Merilainen, the record 179th goaltender he's scored on.

The Ottawa Senators fell short against the NHL-leading Washington Capitals in Thursday's 1-0 overtime loss, but proved they can hold their own against the best.

One night after getting a goalie goal, the Pittsburgh Penguins (19-21-8) struggled to get a skater to score. The revamped and increasingly dominant Washington Capitals (31-10-5) smothered the Penguins’ every offensive hope and got just enough offense to pin down the Penguins for a 4-1 at Capital One Arena Saturday.

Merilainen, who played for Allen of the ECHL and Belleville of the American Hockey League in 2023-24 and began this season as the Senators' fourth-string goaltender, is the second goalie in Ottawa history, joining Andrew Hammond, to record multiple shutout wins in his first 10 NHL games.

After a scoreless 60 minutes, of course it was Alex Ovechkin to lift the Capitals in the three-on-three extra period.