Who: New York Rangers vs. Washington Capitals
Where: Madison Square Garden
When: Saturday afternoon at 1:00 PM
Watch: MSG Network beginning at 12:30 PM
Listen: ESPN-98.7 FM and NewYorkRangers.com
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The Skinny:
Saturday afternoon's matinee at Madison Square Garden represents the third straight game in which the Rangers (22-14-4, 48 pts) play one of the elite teams in the National Hockey League this season, this time the Washington Capitals (30-7-3, 63 pts) who have more wins and more points than any other team in the entire league. Last Saturday the Rangers were shut out by the streaking Panthers down in Florida, 3-0, before bouncing back to defeat the Western Conference-leading Dallas Stars at MSG Tuesday night, 6-2. Now they face a Capitals team that is 11-1-1 in its last 13 games and one that owns an amazing 15-4-2 road record and also sits 15 points ahead of the Blueshirts for first place in the Metropolitan Division. Still the Rangers are confident that putting forth the same type of all-around performance they had Tuesday against the highest scoring team in the league will give them a good chance against a Capitals team they know so well. Once again the Rangers will play without top-six winger Chris Kreider, who will sit out his second straight game with a cut on his hand, meaning that there are added expectations on the other forwards to generate offense. In the last game Derek Stepan scored twice, Rick Nash contributed three assists, newcomer Jayson Megna had a goal and an assist, and Derick Brassard, Keith Yandle, and Viktor Stalberg also scored goals as New York won its 15th home game of the season. The Rangers have won four of their last five home contests, with the only defeat in that stretch coming December 20 against these very same Capitals. Two keys for the Rangers will be 1) trying to stop the Capitals power play, which is ranked second overall in the NHL at 25.4 percent, and 2) getting a lead, and preferably early in the game. The Rangers are 17-1-2 when scoring the game's first goal this season, but Washington is even better when scoring first, 22-1-0. When carrying a lead into the first intermission the Capitals are a perfect 14-0-0. Part of the reason for that is the play of goaltender Braden Holtby, whose 1.90 GAA is third best in the NHL (his 26 wins lead the league). Holtby also enters play 18-0-2 in his last 21 appearances for a Caps team that is off to the best 40-game start in franchise history. Washington will be without the injured trio of John Carlson, Brooks Orpik and Jay Beagle, and recently signed free agent Mike Richards is not expected to play.
Head To Head:
This will be the third time this season that the Rangers and Capitals will be meeting at Madison Square Garden. The two teams will get together twice more this season--January 17 and March 4--at the Verizon Center in Washington D.C. The Rangers overwhelmed the Capitals 5-2 at MSG back on November 3 scoring four times on their first ten shots against Braden Holtby and five times on 21 shots overall. Derick Brassard, Oscar Lindberg, and Kevin Hayes all had a goal and an assist for the Rangers, while Alex Ovechkin and Marcus Johansson scored for the Caps, who managed just the two goals on 34 shots against Henrik Lundqvist. The Capitals gained revenge on December 20, beating the Rangers 7-3 in a game where New York had raced out to a 3-1 first-period lead. Washington scored twice on the power play, once shorthanded, and four times at even strength as Johansson registered a goal and two assists and Nicklas Backstrom picked up three helpers. J.T. Miller, Chris Kreider and Dan Boyle all scored for New York in the loss. Despite that defeat the Rangers have won five of their last seven regular season meetings with the Capitals.
Players To Watch:
Rangers-Jayson Megna: The opportunity he has been hoping for ever since being sent to the minor leagues as one of the final cuts of training camp is here now for 25 year-old Jayson Megna. With Emerson Etem being traded Friday to Vancouver, and coming off an impressive two-point outing in his Rangers debut Tuesday against the Dallas Stars, Megna has the opportunity to stick with a Blueshirts squad desperate for the combination of energy and skill he showed on Tuesday night. Megna earned an assist on his first shift as a Ranger, winning separate puck battles in the offensive zone before Derek Stepan scored early in the first period Tuesday; and then late in the contest he converted a 2-on-1 feed from Rick Nash for his first goal wearing the Blueshirt. In between was diligent gritty work at both ends of the ice, quickness on his skates, and an ability to fit in on a top-six role with Stepan and Nash. He'll get that opportunity again Saturday with Chris Kreider remaining out of the lineup, and as Megna stated on Friday he understands he's in a daily "do or die" battle to keep his spot in the lineup and quite possibly on the NHL roster. So far, so good, however. In 49 career games with the Rangers and Penguins, Megna has six goals, six assists, and 12 points, and he is scoreless in one career contest against the Capitals.
Capitals-Alex Ovechkin: Washington's team captain and star right wing will play in the 800th game of his incredible career Saturday afternoon, and Alex Ovechkin has the chance to reach the 500-goal milestone, as well, in the same contest. Ovechkin is sitting on 497 career goals after he scored once against the Islanders on Thursday, meaning a Hat Trick would get him to 500, and it's certainly not a stretch to think he could pull that off. In 41 career games against the Rangers the six-time 50-goal scorer and reigning Rocket Richard Trophy award winner has 24 goals. Currently Ovechkin is fifth in the league with 22 goals, ninth with seven power play goals, and 20th with 35 points in 39 games. He enters play with five goals in his last six games, and eight in his last ten matches. Interestingly Ovechkin's goal at the Barclay's Center on Thursday gives him at least one goal in 35 of the 37 venues in which he has played at least one game during his career. The only two where he did not score was a one-off neutral site game in Rochester, NY and at Heinz Field for the 2011 Winter Classic.
Where: Madison Square Garden
When: Saturday afternoon at 1:00 PM
Watch: MSG Network beginning at 12:30 PM
Listen: ESPN-98.7 FM and NewYorkRangers.com
***************************************
The Skinny:
Saturday afternoon's matinee at Madison Square Garden represents the third straight game in which the Rangers (22-14-4, 48 pts) play one of the elite teams in the National Hockey League this season, this time the Washington Capitals (30-7-3, 63 pts) who have more wins and more points than any other team in the entire league. Last Saturday the Rangers were shut out by the streaking Panthers down in Florida, 3-0, before bouncing back to defeat the Western Conference-leading Dallas Stars at MSG Tuesday night, 6-2. Now they face a Capitals team that is 11-1-1 in its last 13 games and one that owns an amazing 15-4-2 road record and also sits 15 points ahead of the Blueshirts for first place in the Metropolitan Division. Still the Rangers are confident that putting forth the same type of all-around performance they had Tuesday against the highest scoring team in the league will give them a good chance against a Capitals team they know so well. Once again the Rangers will play without top-six winger Chris Kreider, who will sit out his second straight game with a cut on his hand, meaning that there are added expectations on the other forwards to generate offense. In the last game Derek Stepan scored twice, Rick Nash contributed three assists, newcomer Jayson Megna had a goal and an assist, and Derick Brassard, Keith Yandle, and Viktor Stalberg also scored goals as New York won its 15th home game of the season. The Rangers have won four of their last five home contests, with the only defeat in that stretch coming December 20 against these very same Capitals. Two keys for the Rangers will be 1) trying to stop the Capitals power play, which is ranked second overall in the NHL at 25.4 percent, and 2) getting a lead, and preferably early in the game. The Rangers are 17-1-2 when scoring the game's first goal this season, but Washington is even better when scoring first, 22-1-0. When carrying a lead into the first intermission the Capitals are a perfect 14-0-0. Part of the reason for that is the play of goaltender Braden Holtby, whose 1.90 GAA is third best in the NHL (his 26 wins lead the league). Holtby also enters play 18-0-2 in his last 21 appearances for a Caps team that is off to the best 40-game start in franchise history. Washington will be without the injured trio of John Carlson, Brooks Orpik and Jay Beagle, and recently signed free agent Mike Richards is not expected to play.
Head To Head:
This will be the third time this season that the Rangers and Capitals will be meeting at Madison Square Garden. The two teams will get together twice more this season--January 17 and March 4--at the Verizon Center in Washington D.C. The Rangers overwhelmed the Capitals 5-2 at MSG back on November 3 scoring four times on their first ten shots against Braden Holtby and five times on 21 shots overall. Derick Brassard, Oscar Lindberg, and Kevin Hayes all had a goal and an assist for the Rangers, while Alex Ovechkin and Marcus Johansson scored for the Caps, who managed just the two goals on 34 shots against Henrik Lundqvist. The Capitals gained revenge on December 20, beating the Rangers 7-3 in a game where New York had raced out to a 3-1 first-period lead. Washington scored twice on the power play, once shorthanded, and four times at even strength as Johansson registered a goal and two assists and Nicklas Backstrom picked up three helpers. J.T. Miller, Chris Kreider and Dan Boyle all scored for New York in the loss. Despite that defeat the Rangers have won five of their last seven regular season meetings with the Capitals.
Players To Watch:
Rangers-Jayson Megna: The opportunity he has been hoping for ever since being sent to the minor leagues as one of the final cuts of training camp is here now for 25 year-old Jayson Megna. With Emerson Etem being traded Friday to Vancouver, and coming off an impressive two-point outing in his Rangers debut Tuesday against the Dallas Stars, Megna has the opportunity to stick with a Blueshirts squad desperate for the combination of energy and skill he showed on Tuesday night. Megna earned an assist on his first shift as a Ranger, winning separate puck battles in the offensive zone before Derek Stepan scored early in the first period Tuesday; and then late in the contest he converted a 2-on-1 feed from Rick Nash for his first goal wearing the Blueshirt. In between was diligent gritty work at both ends of the ice, quickness on his skates, and an ability to fit in on a top-six role with Stepan and Nash. He'll get that opportunity again Saturday with Chris Kreider remaining out of the lineup, and as Megna stated on Friday he understands he's in a daily "do or die" battle to keep his spot in the lineup and quite possibly on the NHL roster. So far, so good, however. In 49 career games with the Rangers and Penguins, Megna has six goals, six assists, and 12 points, and he is scoreless in one career contest against the Capitals.
Capitals-Alex Ovechkin: Washington's team captain and star right wing will play in the 800th game of his incredible career Saturday afternoon, and Alex Ovechkin has the chance to reach the 500-goal milestone, as well, in the same contest. Ovechkin is sitting on 497 career goals after he scored once against the Islanders on Thursday, meaning a Hat Trick would get him to 500, and it's certainly not a stretch to think he could pull that off. In 41 career games against the Rangers the six-time 50-goal scorer and reigning Rocket Richard Trophy award winner has 24 goals. Currently Ovechkin is fifth in the league with 22 goals, ninth with seven power play goals, and 20th with 35 points in 39 games. He enters play with five goals in his last six games, and eight in his last ten matches. Interestingly Ovechkin's goal at the Barclay's Center on Thursday gives him at least one goal in 35 of the 37 venues in which he has played at least one game during his career. The only two where he did not score was a one-off neutral site game in Rochester, NY and at Heinz Field for the 2011 Winter Classic.
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