Rangers at Capitals
The top two teams in the Metropolitan Division will meet at the Verizon Center on Saturday afternoon as the New York Rangers face the Washington Capitals in the regular-season finale for both clubs. The Presidents' Trophy-winning Rangers reside both one victory and one point shy of a franchise record, but the club played it conservatively by resting some stars in a 3-0 setback to Ottawa on Thursday.
Henrik Lundqvist avoided serious injury after Mika Zibanejad fell on his left knee, with the 2012 Vezina Trophy winner revealing after the game that was he fine. Rick Nash, Mats Zuccarello and defenseman Marc Staal received the night off with the playoffs looming, although the Rangers still await the identity of their first-round opponent. The Capitals learned that they would face the New York Islanders in the opening round after the latter posted a 3-1 victory over Pittsburgh on Friday. Washington holds a one-point edge over the Islanders, who host Columbus on Saturday.
TV: 12:30 p.m. ET, TVA, MSG (New York), CSN-DC (Washington)
ABOUT THE RANGERS (52-22-7): Coach Alain Vigneault declared during Friday's practice that Nash and Zuccarello will be game-time decisions versus Washington, but Staal and fellow defenseman Kevin Klein (broken left arm) will remain out with the hope to be ready for the playoffs. "I felt good (after skating). I felt normal," said Nash, who has a career-high 42 goals - with three coming in a 4-2 win over Washington on Dec. 23. "It felt nice. I felt refreshed today." Nash is dealing with general soreness while Zuccarello is believed to be nursing a minor foot injury.
ABOUT THE CAPITALS (45-25-11): Braden Holtby turned aside 27 shots in Washington's 3-0 triumph over Boston on Thursday to record his 41st victory, matching the franchise's single-season record set by Olaf Kolzig in 1999-2000. Holtby's blanking was his ninth this campaign, equaling Jim Carey's total during 1995-96. When asked if he'd take time to reflect on his individual accomplishments, Holtby was quick with an answer. "No. The only time I'll do that is if there's a Stanley Cup ring on our fingers," he said.
OVERTIME
1. The Rangers won two of the three meetings, but Washington skated to a 5-2 triumph on March 29.
2. Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin has registered an NHL-leading 52 goals this season, with four coming at the expense of the Rangers.
3. The Rangers recorded franchise bests in victories (52) and points (112) during their Stanley Cup-winning 1993-94 season.