ARLINGTON, Virginia — The Washington Capitals (2-1-0) will continue their three-game home series Friday, starting the weekend with a matchup against the rival New York Rangers.
After finishing last in the Eastern Conference last season, the Rangers are off to a hot start this fall, leading the NHL with a 4-1-0 record through their first five games.
“They’re playing well,” Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery said. “We’ll definitely have our hands full tonight at home.”
Since losing their season opener to the Boston Bruins, the Rangers have won four straight games, beating the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-1, the Detroit Red Wings 2-0, the Utah Mammoth 4-2 and the New York Islanders 5-2. The streak was aided by standout moments and big individual performances: Igor Shesterkin scored the first goaltending goal in Rangers history against Tampa Bay, rookie Dylan Garand recorded his first NHL shutout in Detroit and Alexis Lafrenière exploded for a hat trick and four points against the Islanders.
“I think they do a good job as a group,” Carbery said. “They obviously have one of the best goalkeepers in the world, but I think from the forwards to the defenders, to their tracking, to their commitment to defending, I think that comes from everyone in their room.”
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Capital Injury Updates
Washington will do without its defensive pillar Matt Roy once again against New York. After suffering a lower body injury against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday, Roy will miss his second straight game with the Capitals. Roy, however, made some progress in his recovery on Friday: according to the team, he skated alone for the first time since he was injured before the Caps’ morning skate.
“(It) is coming,” Carbery said. “I don’t think the situation is getting worse. It’s moving slowly, but still day by day.”
Goalkeepers
Logan Thompson will score against the Rangers: according to Mollie Walker of the New York Post, he will line up against Igor Shesterkin. Shesterkin has only allowed seven goals in five games this season, and he even scored one against the Tampa Bay Lightning on October 1.
“(Shesterkin is) always in our pre-scouting because he plays the puck so well, whether he scores or not,” Carbery said. “He’s like a third defenseman when it comes to breakouts, so we always talk about that. I would put him right up there with the Joel Hofers, the Jordan Binningtons of the world, in terms of their ability to play the puck. So you have to pre-screen for that. You have to make sure our guys are aware of that.”
Projected programming
After beating the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-3 on Wednesday, the Capitals are expected to face the same lineup against the Rangers.
Capital lines
Ovechkin
Strom
Beauvilliers
A. Protas
I. Protas
Kyrou
Ranger Lines
According to Walker, here’s how the Rangers lined up in Thursday’s practice.
Perreault
Zibanejad
Lafrenière
Björkstrand
Beaudoin
Chmelař
Fun facts
- Tonight marks the 52nd anniversary of the first game in Washington Capitals history. On October 9, 1974, the expansion Caps debuted at Madison Square Garden. Jim Hrycuik scored the Capitals’ first goal in team history, giving the team a 1-0 lead, but they ultimately lost 6-3 at the end of the night.
- Friday night’s game marks the 252nd meeting of the two teams in the regular season. The Capitals hold a record of 122-103-18-8 in these games. The teams have also met 10 times in the postseason, including five times since 2009. The Rangers swept Washington in their last playoff meeting in 2024. Before that, the 2012, 2013 and 2015 series all lasted seven games.
- We are one day away from another birthday. Nearly 21 years ago, Alex Ovechkin scored the third career goal against the Rangers’ Kevin Weekes on October 10, 2005 – just five days after his two-goal NHL debut against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. In addition to being broadcast on Monumental Sports Network, the game will be broadcast nationally on NHL Network.
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