• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Capitals looking to turn around woeful start to season

Nov 21, 2007 - 2:39 PM Atlanta (10-10-0) at Washington (6-13-1) 7:00 pm EST

WASHINGTON (Ticker) - Despite two major offseason acquisitions and a talented rookie, the Washington Capitals have not shown much improvement since last season.

The Capitals will look to snap a four-game losing streak when they host the Atlanta Thrashers on Wednesday in a matchup of Southeast Division clubs.

Washington was able to lure talented centers Viktor Kozlov and Michael Nylander in the offseason, but it has not translated into wins. Nylander has five goals and a team-leading 12 assists, while Kozlov has tallied three goals and 12 points for his new team.

The Capitals also expected more production from 19-year-old rookie Nicklas Backstrom, who has just one goal this season. The Swedish center has been held to just one point during the losing streak.

The Thrashers, on the other hand, have already begun to turn around a terrible start. After losing six straight to start the season, a coaching change propelled Atlanta back up to the .500 mark.

A major reason for the comeback has been the play of Ilya Kovalchuk, who has a league-leading 16 goals. Over the last eight games, the 24-year-old Russian left wing has 11 tallies and six assists.

The Thrashers have won three consecutive games and six of their last seven.