Photo by Joshua Sarner/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Washington Capitals take on the New York Rangers for the final time in the Big Apple and third of fourth overall this season on Tuesday night. Washington won the first two games by a combined score of 10-3, including a 6-3 win in the nation’s capital just two and a half weeks ago, and has won seven of the past 11 meetings between the two teams dating back to March 2021. Action from Madison Square Garden can be seen on ESPN or ESPN+ starting at 7 PM ET.
SCHEDULE
Washington: end stretch where they play six of seven away from home (3-3-0)
New York: start season-long five-game homestand (four of which coming against Metropolitan Division rivals) after four-game Northeastern road trip (2-1-1), lone game in a span of four this week that they do not face the Pittsburgh Penguins
RECORDS
Washington: 32-28-7/.530 points percentage – sixth in Metropolitan Division, tied for 10th in Eastern Conference (11th in points percentage); 17-15-3 on road (15th in NHL)
New York: 37-19-10/.636 points percentage – third in Metropolitan Division (10 points behind the Carolina Hurricanes and New Jersey Devils for first, six ahead of Pittsburgh — Carolina has a game in hand on all three teams), tied for fifth in Eastern Conference (but hold better points percentage than Tampa Bay Lightning – .627); 17-11-4 at home (16th)
HOW EACH TEAM IS DOING
Washington: 3-1-1 in last five, 4-2-1 in last seven since season-long six-game regulation losing streak ended
New York: 2-0-1 during three-game point-streak since 2-5-1 stretch
TEAM LEADERS
Washington
- LW Alex Ovechkin (36 goals, 62 points)
- C Evgeny Kuznetsov (39 assists)
- D Nick Jensen (20:39 TOI/game) — excluding D John Carlson
Notes: Ovechkin, 37, has four goals, seven points in last seven after five-game scoring drought; Kuznetsov, 30, is on five-game scoring drought; C Dylan Strome has three goals, seven points over four-game point-streak; LW Conor Sheary has just one goal, three points in last 25, including one assist in last 15; RW T.J. Oshie has seven goals, 13 points over his last 12, including six goals, 10 points in last eight; LW Sonny Milano had four assists over three-game assist-streak, which ended in Washington’s 5-1 win over the New York Islanders on Saturday, and six points in his last seven; D Rasmus Sandin has one goal, eight points in four games since joining Washington, including a three-helper night on Long Island, and two goals, 12 points, five multi-point outings in his last seven overall; LW Anthony Mantha ended stretch where he had just one assist in his last 17 with a goal, assist vs. New York; D Trevor Van Riemsdyk has one goal, three points, +6 rating in his last two; RW Craig Smith has just three goals in his last 14 and has gone scoreless in six of seven with Washington; RW Tom Wilson has gone scoreless in three straight
New York
- C Mika Zibanejad (32 goals)
- LW Artemi Panarin (53 assists, 73 points)
- D Adam Fox (24:54 TOI/game)
Notes: Zibanejad, 29, has just one assist in his last four since four-game point-streak ended; Panarin, 31, has two goals, eight points in his last seven; LW Chris Kreider snapped a three-game scoring drought with a goal vs. Pittsburgh; LW Patrick Kane has nine goals, 13 points in his last nine, including two goals, three points in his last three; RW Vladimir Tarasenko has gone scoreless in three straight and six of his last nine (two goals, five points); C Filip Chytil has gone scoreless in five straight and has just two assists in his last 10; C Vincent Trocheck snapped three-game scoreless drought with an assist in Pittsburgh after earning 12 assists, 18 points in his previous 16; LW Alexis Lafreniere has gone scoreless in two straight and seven of his last 10 (four goals); RW Kaapo Kakko has gone scoreless in three in a row and eight of his last 11 (one goal which came in Washington, three points); C Barclay Goodrow had just one goal (which came in Washington) in his previous 16 before scoring in Pittsburgh; LW Jimmy Vesey snapped an 11-game scoring drough with an assist on Sunday afternoon; D K’Andre Miller has just one assist in his last nine; D Jacob Trouba’s four-game point-streak (two goals, five points) ended in Pittsburgh
KEY TEAM STATS
Goals-per-game: WSH – 3.09 (19th) NYR – 3.23 (T-14th)
Goals-against per game: WSH – 2.94 (13th) NYR – 2.79 (9th)
Power Play: WSH – 20.5% (20th) NYR – 23.3% (9th)
Penalty Kill: WSH – 82.9% (6th) NYR – 79.3% (17th)
Shots-per-game: WSH – 31.2 (18th) NYR – 31.7 (16th)
Shots-against per game: WSH – 30.3 (10th) NYR – 29.2 (7th)
Faceoff-winning %: WSH – 49.6% (18th) NYR – 49.1% (21st)
5v5 Corsi-for %: WSH – 50.51% (18th) NYR – 50.62% (17th)
5v5 x Goals-For %: WSH – 50.35% (18th) NYR – 49.38% (21st)
5v5 SCF %: WSH – 50.19% (19th) NYR – 49.52% (21st)
5v5 Shooting %: WSH – 8.57% (T-17th) NYR – 8.64% (15th)
5v5 Save %: WSH – .9131 (19th) NYR – .9173 (16th)
5v5 PDO: WSH – .999 (T-17th) NYR – 1.004 (T-12th)
EXPECTED STARTING GOALTENDERS
Washington: TBD
Darcy Kuemper, 32 — 20-20-5 (T-16th in wins), .913 save percentage (T-15th in NHL), 2.71 goals-against average (17th), five shutouts (T-1st) in 46 games this season; 8-1-0 (T-sixth-most wins vs. any franchise), .917 save percentage, 2.23 goals-against (T-seventh), two shutouts (T-fifth) average in nine career games against New York (including .948 save percentage, 1.50 goals-against average, one shutout in first two games this season)
Charlie Lindgren, 29 — 12-8-2, .905 save percentage, 2.74 goals-against average (18th) in 26 games; has never started vs. New York in NHL career
New York: Igor Shesterkin, 27 — 29-11-7 (T-second in wins), .910 save percentage (T-18th), 2.63 goals-against average (11th), shutout in 47 games; 4-3-0, .913 save percentage, 2.88 goals-against (T-seventh) in seven career games against Washington (.843 save percentage, 4.89 goals-against average in first two games this season)
INJURIES/ILLNESSES
Washington
- Carlson (upper-body, expected to miss 32nd straight game, out indefinitely)
- RW Connor Brown (ACL, 64th, indefinite)
- LW Carl Hagelin (hip, 68th, indefinite)
New York
- D Ryan Lindgren (upper-body, eighth, week-to-week)
PROJECTED LINEUPS
Washington
Ovechkin — Kuznetsov — Wilson
Milano — Strome — Oshie
Mantha — Nicklas Backstrom — Smith
Sheary — Nic Dowd — Nicolas Aube-Kubel
Sandin — Van Riemsdyk
Martin Fehervary — Jensen
Matt Irwin — Alexander Alexeyev
Lindgren
Kuemper
Scratched: C Aliaksei Protas, LW Joe Snively, D Gabriel Carlsson
New York
Panarin — Zibanejad — Tarasenko
Kreider — Trocheck — Kane
Lafreniere — Chytil — Kakko
Vesey — Goodrow — Tyler Motte
Miller — Trouba
Niko Mikkola — Fox
Ben Harpur — Braden Schneider
Shesterkin
Jaroslav Halak
Scratched: None
BETTING ODDS (Per BetMGM)
Washington: +140, New York: -165
Over 6: -120, Under 6: +100
By Harrison Brown
