WASHINGTON — Jakob Chychrun, Aliaksei Protas and Pierre-Luc Dubois scored, Logan Thompson made 18 saves and the NHL-leading Washington Capitals beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-1 on Saturday night for their fourth consecutive victory.

From Dec. 10 to Dec. 31, Pittsburgh Penguins forward Kevin Hayes found himself watching games from the press box as a healthy scratch. Then, on Jan. 3 against the Florida Panthers, he finally got his chance to establish himself back into the Penguins' lineup.

The Pittsburgh Penguins placed center Evgeni Malkin on injured reserve with an upper-body injury. Malkin missed his fourth consecutive game against Tampa Bay.

The Panthers acquired Tarasenko from the Ottawa Senators at the trade deadline last season to add depth to their forward group as well as a veteran presence who had already been where the Panthers were trying to go. Tarasenko already had one Stanley Cup win under his belt, winning it all with the St. Louis Blues in 2019.

The Florida Panthers continue to navigate the second half of their season without their top defenseman. After missing the team's latest contest against the Bost

The Penguins revealed on Wednesday that they will place long-time starting netminder Tristan Jarry on waivers at 2 p.m., marking the latest development in his turbulent season. Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry will be placed on waivers today at 2:00 PM.

On Sunday, Pittsburgh Penguins star forward Evgeni Malkin was placed on injured reserve with an upper-body injury ahead of the team's tilt against the Tampa Bay Lightning. In a corresponding move, forward Philip Tomasino - who was injured during Pittsburgh's 3-2 loss to the Florida Panthers on Jan. 3 - was activated from IR.

- In other news, forward Cody Glass - who was injured during the first period in the Penguins' 4-2 loss against the Seattle Kraken - was back at practice on Thursday after missing the team's practice on Wednesday.

The NHL has a monster 15-game slate beginning just after Noon on the East Coast and ending after midnight on the West Coast. Let’s check out two of the top picks from today’s loaded schedule! More NHL Betting Advice Top Bettor Picks for NHL NHL Best Betting Odds NHL Betting Strategy Our NHL Prop Bet

We’re just under 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.

So far this season, there aren’t really any players who have disappointed significantly for the Canadiens. Cayden Primeau is one of the names that comes to mind in terms of disappointment, but there’s also Christian Dvorak.

It’s past midseason, and the Canadiens have a real chance at the playoffs. Can they get there? If they keep shooting the puck often, they will.