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The Washington Capitals pay a visit to the Prudential Center to take on the New Jersey Devils tonight in a game which will be notable for the absence of Alex Ovechkin, who was injured at the weekend playing against Columbus. Ovechkin is now listed as week-to-week after the upper-body strain inflicted during Sunday's 5-4 overtime loss.

Calling the Caps a one man team would be inaccurate and the other players remain adamant that they can combine to fill the void left by Ovechkin's absence up front. It is thought that Tomas Fleischmann will move into the top six to replace him but it's unlikely that the Caps will find it quite as easy in reality to cope with the loss of a player who has 14 goals in as many games.

Looking at the stats, Washington are 1-3 in games without their star man and have also been outscored 15-7. They aren't accustomed to having to play without Ovechkin, who has missed only 2 games through injury (the other two were missed for personal reasons) since 2005.

Last month, Washington were defeated by the Devils and the odds for this clash suggest that bettors are confident the same scenario will be played out tonight. Although they have won three in a row on the road, Washington are underdogs at +205 in the Regular Time Odds, with the Devils, whose majestic record on the road is not matched by their performances at home so far, the favorite at +122. The Caps are also +124 on the Money Line (Including OT), with the Devils -127.

The away side will be looking to put on a stronger performance at the back, particularly in order to cope with a weakened attack. They have given away 3.03 goals per game so far and will be looking to improve this statistic quickly, with or without Ovechkin. In their last two games, they've given up 9 goals in overtime defeats at the hands of the Islanders and the Blue Jackets.

More worryingly for Washington, the home side may be able to welcome back Patrik Elias, who has so far been sidelined after surgery a couple of months ago. Elias was instrumental for the team last season, notching up 31 goals and 78 points. He was also a thorn in Washington's side each time the two teams met in 2008/2009. The Caps' defense certainly won't be looking forward to welcoming this man back on the ice tonight.