Capitals at Rangers
Alex Ovechkin hopes to continue his march toward 500 goals when the NHL-leading Washington Capitals wrap up a five-game road trip with a visit to the New York Rangers on Saturday afternoon. Ovechkin scored his 497th goal to help the Capitals become the first team to reach 30 wins for the season with a 4-1 victory over the New York Islanders on Thursday.
While Ovechkin is bidding to become the 43rd player to reach the 500 goals, Braden Holtby is also approaching an impressive streak. Holtby is on a personal 18-0-2 tear and can become the first goaltender to earn a point in 21 straight decisions since Roberto Luongo (16-0-5) with Vancouver in 2010-11. The Rangers are coming off an impressive 6-2 thumping of Western Conference-leading Dallas and are seeking back-to-back victories for the first time since Nov. 21-23. The teams have split two games at Madison Square Garden this season, with New York posting a 5-2 win over Nov. 3 and Washington romping 7-3 in the rematch on Dec. 20.
TV: 1 p.m. ET, CSN Washington, MSG (New York)
ABOUT THE CAPITALS (30-7-3): Holtby, who turned aside 34 shots Thursday to post his league-high 26th victory, has not lost in regulation since a 1-0 setback to Detroit on Nov. 10. "He wants to be in the net every night. I think he gets mad when I pull him out of there, but he's a workhorse," Washington coach Barry Trotz said. "The more he plays, the better he tracks the puck. He's had a wonderful first 40 games; hopefully we can continue that in the second 40." The Capitals will be without forward Marcus Johansson, who was suspended two games Friday for an illegal check to the head of the Islanders' Thomas Hickey.
ABOUT THE RANGERS (22-14-4): Former first-round draft pick Emerson Etem's tenure with New York lasted less than half a season as he was dealt to Vancouver on Friday in exchange for forward Nicklas Jensen - another first-round selection - and a sixth-round pick in the 2017 draft. Jensen, who has three goals and three assists in 24 career NHL games, has appeared in 27 games with Utica of the American Hockey League this season and notched four tallies and 12 points. “(Jensen) has a nice skill package; he can skate, has good hands, has good hockey sense,” Rangers general manager Jeff Gorton said.
OVERTIME
1. Ovechkin will play in his 800th career game Saturday.
2. Rangers F Chris Kreider will sit out his second straight game due to a laceration on his hand.
3. C Mike Richards, signed by the Capitals on Wednesday, practiced Friday but will not be in the lineup for Saturday's game.