Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images

The Washington Capitals and New York Rangers will return from the holiday break and meet for the first time of the 2022-23 season in the Big Apple on Tuesday night. New York won two of three games against Washington last season with the home team winning every game.

New York has also taken six of the last eight meetings (6-2-0) against Washington at Madison Square Garden. Action from MSG can be seen at 7 PM ET starting on NBC Sports Washington+ in-market or ESPN+ out-of-market.

SCHEDULE

Washington: play just second of six road games in stretch where they play 10 of 16 at home (4-1-0 so far)

New York: close out two-game homestand after they entered the holiday break on the heels of a 5-3 win over the New York Islanders on Thursday, play four of their next five on the road after Tuesday

RECORDS

Washington: 19-13-4/.583 points percentage – fifth in Metropolitan Division, eighth in Eastern Conference; 8-8-3 on road, 17th in NHL

New York: 19-11-5/.614 points percentage – tied for third in Metropolitan Division with Pittsburgh Penguins but have played two more games, seventh in Eastern Conference; 8-6-4 on road, 16th

HOW EACH TEAM IS DOING

Washington: entered break riding four-game winning streak and are 9-1-0 in last 10, 12-3-1 in their last 16 since dropping nine of their previous 11 (2-6-3)

New York: 8-1-0 in last nine since a 5-2 loss at home to Chicago Blackhawks on December 3, their fifth loss in six games (1-4-1)

TEAM LEADERS

Washington

• LW Alex Ovechkin (22 goals, 41 points)
• C Evgeny Kuznetsov (23 assists)
• D John Carlson (23:23 TOI/game)

Notes: Ovechkin, 37, has 20 goals and 36 points in his last 30, including nine goals, 16 points, five multi-point efforts in his last 10 and two goals, six points over a three-game assist-/point-streak; Kuznetsov, 30, has 10 assists and 12 points over his last 11, including a goal and five points in his last four; C Dylan Strome had an assist in Washington’s 4-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets on Friday to snap a three-game scoring drought; LW Anthony Mantha is on a three-game scoring drought and has just one assist in his last five; D Erik Gustafsson has a +13 rating over his last eight and four goals, seven points over a four-game point-streak; LW Sonny Milano has goals in back-to-back games and seven assists, nine points over his last 10, including six points in his last five; LW Conor Sheary snapped a three-game scoring drought with two assists vs. Winnipeg; C Nic Dowd has four goals and six points in his last six

New York

• LW Chris Kreider (16 goals)
• LW Artemi Panarin (32 assists, 41 points)
• D Adam Fox (24:57 TOI/game)

Notes: Panarin, 30, has three goals, six points in his last four and 15 assists, 19 points in last 15; Fox, 24, has four assists in his last three and a +7 rating in his last four; Kreider, 31, has been held off of the scoresheet in six of his last eight (three goals); C Mika Zibanejad has five assists in his last four and 19 assists, 30 points in his last 27; C Vincent Trocheck has seven assists, 10 points, four multi-point efforts over a six-game point-streak and nine assists, 13 points in his last nine; LW Barclay Goodrow has two goals, five points, +7 rating over last four games; LW Alexis Lafreniere has three assists in as many games; D K’Andre Miller has six assists, eight points in last nine; RW Kaapo Kakko has five goals, seven points in last eight

KEY TEAM STATS

Goals-per-game:                 WSH – 3.08 (19th)         NYR – 3.29 (11th)

Goals-against per game:   WSH – 2.78 (10th)          NYR – 2.71 (7th)

Power Play:                          WSH – 20.8% (20th)     NYR – 22.9% (T-15th)

Penalty Kill:                         WSH – 80.8% (T-7th)   NYR – 80.6% (11th)

Shots-per-game:                 WSH – 31.6 (16th)          NYR – 32.4 (11th)

Shots-against per game:   WSH – 30.1 (T-10th)      NYR – 28.9 (6th)

Faceoff-winning %:            WSH – 48.7% (21st)       NYR – 48.6% (22nd)

5v5 Corsi-for %:                  WSH – 51.16% (14th)     NYR – 51.56% (11th)

5v5 x Goals-For %:             WSH – 51.51% (13th)     NYR – 51.16% (15th)

5v5 SCF %:                           WSH – 51.56% (12th)    NYR – 50.72% (T-17th)

5v5 Shooting %:                  WSH – 7.87% (25th)     NYR – 8.83% (12th)

5v5 Save %:                          WSH – .922 (10th)        NYR – .9184 (14th)

5v5 PDO:                              WSH – 1.001 (T-13th)   NYR – 1.007 (11th)

EXPECTED STARTING GOALTENDERS

Washington: Darcy Kuemper, 32 — 9-9-2, .916 save percentage, 2.53 goals-against average, two shutouts in 21 games this season; 6-1-0, .908 save percentage, 2.44 goals-against average, one shutout in seven career games vs. New York

New York: Igor Shesterkin, 26 — 17-5-4, .916 save percentage, 2.44 goals-against average, one shutout in 26 games; 4-1-0, .935 save percentage, 2.22 goals-against average in five career games vs. Washington

INJURIES/ILLNESSES

Washington

• D Martin Fehervary (lower-body, will miss 11th straight game, out day-to-day)
• RW Connor Brown (ACL, 33rd, indefinite)
• LW Carl Hagelin (hip, 37th, indefinite)
• RW Tom Wilson (ACL, 37th, indefinite)
• C Nicklas Backstrom (hip, 37th, indefinite)
• LW Beck Malenstyn (finger, 26th, week-to-week)
• D Alexander Alexeyev (upper-body, eighth, status unknown)
• RW T.J. Oshie (upper-body, fourth, day-to-day)
• D John Carlson (upper-body, first, indefinite)

New York

• N/A

PROJECTED LINEUPS

Washington

Ovechkin — Strome — Sheary
Milano — Kuznetsov — Mantha
Marcus Johansson — Lars Eller — Nicolas Aube-Kubel
Aliaksei Protas — Dowd — Garnet Hathaway

Dmitry Orlov — Nick Jensen
Matt Irwin — Trevor Van Riemsdyk
Erik Gustafsson — TBD (Lucas Johansen?)

Kuemper
Charlie Lindgren

Scratched: LW Joe Snively

New York

Panarin — Zibanejad — Vitaly Kravtsov
Lafreniere — Filip Chytil — Kakko
Kreider — Trocheck — Jimmy Vesey
Goodrow — Johnny Brodzinski — Julien Gauthier

Ryan Lindgren — Fox
Miller — Jacob Trouba
Ben Harpur — Brayden Schnieder

Shesterkin
Jaroslav Halak

Scratched: LW Sammy Blais, D Libor Hajek

By Harrison Brown