Washington plays New York, looks for 5th straight home win

Updated Mar. 20, 2021 3:10 a.m. ET

Associated Press

New York Rangers (12-13-4, sixth in the East Division) vs. Washington Capitals (20-6-4, first in the East Division)

Washington; Saturday, 7 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: Washington hosts New York aiming to extend its four-game home winning streak.

The Capitals have gone 20-6-4 against division opponents. Washington is 10th in the NHL averaging 5.6 assists per game, led by Nicklas Backstrom with 0.7.

The Rangers are 12-13-4 against the rest of their division. New York averages 9.5 penalty minutes per game, the seventh-most in the league. Brendan Lemieux leads the team serving 48 total minutes.

The teams meet for the second game in a row.

TOP PERFORMERS: Alex Ovechkin leads the Capitals with 14 goals, adding 11 assists and totaling 25 points. Backstrom has three goals and six assists over the last 10 games for Washington.

K'Andre Miller leads the Rangers with a plus-10 in 26 games this season. Pavel Buchnevich has five goals over the last 10 games for New York.

LAST 10 GAMES: Capitals: 9-1-0, averaging 3.4 goals, 5.7 assists, 3.4 penalties and eight penalty minutes while giving up 2.2 goals per game with a .920 save percentage.

Rangers: 5-4-1, averaging 3.6 goals, six assists, 2.9 penalties and 7.4 penalty minutes while giving up 2.5 goals per game with a .902 save percentage.

INJURIES: Capitals: Michal Kempny: out (lower body), Lars Eller: day to day (lower body).

Rangers: Justin Richards: out (health protocols), Phillip Di Giuseppe: day to day (health and safety protocols), Igor Shesterkin: day to day (lower body).

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