The Washington Capitals sit atop the NHL, and they've more than established that they're a legitimate contender after barely sneaking into the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season. Now, per reports, they could add some pieces to gear up for a longer run.

It started with a trade between the Bruins and Capitals (and Wild as a third-party broker). The Capitals moved out two pending free agents, Garnet Hathaway and Dmitry Orlov, in exchange for a 2023 first-rounder, 2024 third, 2025 second and Craig Smith.

(AP Photo/John McDonnell) Washington Capitals center Lars Eller (20) bats the puck away from New York Rangers center Mika Zibanejad (93) during the second period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell ...

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The Edmonton Oilers signed veteran defenseman John Klingberg for the rest of the season. Follow this tracker for the latest NHL news.

The Penguins (44 points) are 18-20-8, ranking sixth in the Metropolitan Division and seventh in the Eastern Conference wild-card race. They trail the Columbus Blue Jackets, owners of the second wild-card berth, by four points in the standings.

We’re exactly seven weeks from the NHL’s March 7 trade deadline and we’ve got you covered at Daily Faceoff with at least one trade-focused story every day until Deadline Day.

On Saturday night in Nashville, the Caps finish up a weekend set of back-to-back games and their 2024-25 season’s series with the Nashville Predators. Back on Nov. 6 in Washington, the Caps prevailed by a 3-2 count in the first meeting between the two clubs this season.

Going into the second, Montreal brought a sense of energy and vigor that Washington must’ve left in their locker room. While the second period has been a weaker period for D.C. this season, this was the second consecutive period that the team was absolutely dominated and saw the ice tilted the other way.

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In goal, Logan Thompson and Hunter Shepard worked in both nets, with Charlie Lindgren not skating as he recovers from an upper-body injury he suffered in Friday's loss to the Montreal Canadiens. Lindgren remains on the IR, but Carbery said he’s progressing well and they will see if he can be activated Saturday.

Logan Thompson made 18 saves in relief of Lindgren. Defenseman Jakob Chychrun and Lars Eller each scored a goal for the Capitals, who extended their point streak to six games (3-0-3) and their home point streak to 10 (7-0-3).