New York Rangers (26-12-2, first in the Metropolitan Division) vs. Washington Capitals (19-14-6, seventh in the Metropolitan Division)
Washington; Saturday, 1 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: The New York Rangers head into the matchup with the Washington Capitals as losers of three games in a row.
Washington is 19-14-6 overall with a 10-6-1 record against the Metropolitan Division. The Capitals are 9-1-2 in games decided by one goal.
New York is 26-12-2 overall and 6-3-0 against the Metropolitan Division. The Rangers are 15-9-0 in games they score at least one power-play goal.
The teams play Saturday for the third time this season. The Rangers won 5-1 in the previous matchup.
TOP PERFORMERS: Dylan Strome has 15 goals and nine assists for the Capitals. Alexander Ovechkin has three goals and six assists over the past 10 games.
Vincent Trocheck has 13 goals and 29 assists for the Rangers. Mika Zibanejad has three goals and eight assists over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Capitals: 3-5-2, averaging 2.2 goals, 4.2 assists, 2.5 penalties and 5.3 penalty minutes while giving up 3.6 goals per game.
Rangers: 4-5-1, averaging 3.3 goals, 5.7 assists, 2.8 penalties and 6.2 penalty minutes while giving up 3.2 goals per game.
INJURIES: Capitals: Rasmus Sandin: out (upper-body), Tom Wilson: day to day (nose), Nicklas Backstrom: out (hip), Sonny Milano: out (upper body).
Rangers: Tyler Pitlick: out (lower body), Kaapo Kakko: day to day (lower body), Mika Zibanejad: day to day (illness), Filip Chytil: out (upper-body).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
The Associated Press