Photo: Al Bello/Getty Images

The Washington Capitals will take their final road trip of the season, stopping in Manhattan to face the Rangers on Monday (7 PM ET, NBC Sports Washington, ESPN+) and Wednesday (7 PM ET, NBC Sports Washington+, NBCSN). The Rangers lead the season series 4-2 and picked up the most recent win on March 30, a 5-2 victory at Madison Square Garden.

Capitals

Last Game: 3-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins at Capital One Arena on Saturday

Standings: 32-14-5 (69 points) | second in the MassMutual East Division, eighth overall

Goal Leader: Captain Alex Ovechkin (24)

Assist Leader: Center Nicklas Backstrom (37)

Point Leader: Backstrom (51)

Goaltenders: Vitek Vanecek is likely to start for Washington. The 25-year-old has gone 18-9-4, has a .908 save percentage, and 2.75 goals-against average.

Power-Play: 26.3% (3rd) | Forward T.J. Oshie leads with eleven power-play goals.

Penalty Kill: 83.4% (6th) | Forward Garnet Hathaway leads with 59 penalty minutes.

Essential Notes: Ovechkin made the trip to New York, but it is unclear if he will draw back into the lineup for Tuesday’s game. He has not played since April 22 due to a lower-body injury. Another player to keep an eye out on is defenseman John Carlson, who has missed the last two games because of a lower-body injury. The Capitals are 6-3-1 in their last ten games. They have gone 17-7-2 on the road this season.

Rangers

Last Game: 3-0 loss to the New York Islanders on Saturday at Nassau Coliseum

Standings: 26-20-6 (58 points) | fifth in the MassMutual East Division, 13th overall

Goal Leader: Center Mika Zibanejad (20)

Assist Leader: Defenseman Adam Fox (42)

Point Leader: Forward Artemi Panarin (56)

Goaltenders: Igor Shesterkin is likely to start for New York. The 25-year-old has gone 15-12-3, has a .920 save percentage, and 2.44 goals-against average. Alexandar Georgiev made 22 saves in the loss to the Islanders. He has an 8-6-2 record thus far, a .905 save percentage and 2.69 goals-against average.

Power-Play: 21.1% (14th) | Forward Chris Kreider leads with 11 power-play goals.

Penalty Kill: 83.1% (7th) | Defenseman Brendan Smith leads with 54 penalty minutes.

Essential Notes: The Rangers are pushing for the fourth and final playoff spot in the east. In their last ten games, they have gone 6-4-0. The Rangers have a 14-9-3 record at home this season. Their .558 points percentage ranks fifth in the east and 13th in the league, a tie with the Nashville Predators.

And the beat goes on#ALLCAPS | @Enterprise pic.twitter.com/2AX5dWBwY4

— x – Washington Capitals (@Capitals) May 2, 2021

By Della Young