This time though, the Caps are heading into the back half of the set with a four-game winning streak, and with their mentors in tow. Saturday's game is also the opening tilt of the Capitals' annual Mentors' Trip, so the players have their dads and mentors along for Saturday's matinee match against the Rangers and a Monday night meeting with the Islanders in Brooklyn.
"We're kind of finding a grove here; we're playing well," says Caps center Travis Boyd. "Confidence breeds confidence, and when you start getting some wins, all of a sudden you start feeling good about yourself. I know everyone is excited to get on this fathers' trip, the mentors' trip, and at the end of the day we're still hoping that we can put together two good games and hopefully get two solid road wins."
Hot At Home - Even in the wake of Friday's 4-0 shutout setback at the hands of the Flyers in Philadelphia, the Rangers have won nine of their last 12 games (9-2-1). At home, they're even hotter. The Blueshirts have won seven straight at home dating back to Oct. 23, and they've outscored the opposition by a combined total of 26-10 in those seven contests.
The Caps were victorious on their most recent visit here, taking a 4-2 in late in the 2017-18 regular season, on March 26 of this year.
In The Nets - Braden Holtby won his third game in as many appearances on Friday over the Red Wings, so Pheonix Copley will be the starter for Saturday's matinee match with the Blueshirts. Copley started all four games on Washington's recent road trip, permitting two or fewer goals in three of the four and giving the Caps a chance to win all three.
"It's a good situation for him to get in there with a quick turnaround," says Caps coach Todd Reirden of Copley. "Obviously it's a great building to play in, so it will be a good experience for him. On our Mentors' Trip, it will be good to have him in there."
On the season, Copley is 4-2-1 with a 3.07 GAA and an .899 save pct. In his last five appearances, he is 3-1-0 with a 2.76 GAA and a .909 save pct.
Coming off a Friday matinee in Philadelphia, the Rangers are also expected to go with their backup in goal on Saturday against Washington. Alexandar Georgiev is expected to make is seventh appearance of the season on Saturday against the Caps. He is 4-2-0 with a 2.94 GAA and a .911 save pct. The first Bulgarian-born player in NHL history, Georgiev comes into Saturday's contest with wins in each of his last four starts, and on the heels of a 29-save shutout over the Islanders in his most recent outing, on Nov. 21.
In his last five appearances, Georgiev is 4-0-0 with a shutout, a 2.01 GAA and a .936 save pct. In his only prior game against Washington, Georgiev allowed three goals on six shots in just under nine minutes of work here in New York on March 26.
All Lined Up -Here is how we believe the Capitals and the Rangers will look when they meet on Saturday afternoon at Madison Square Garden in New York for the opener of their two-game Mentors' Trip to the Big Apple:
WASHINGTON
Forwards
8-Ovechkin, 19-Backstrom, 43-Wilson
13-Vrana, 20-Eller, 10-Connolly
65-Burakovsky, 72-Boyd, 25-Smith-Pelly
18-Stephenson, 26-Dowd, 23-Jaskin
Defensemen
6-Kempny, 74-Carlson
9-Orlov, 2-Niskanen
29-Djoos, 22-Bowey
Goaltenders
1-Copley
70-Holtby
Injuries
44-Orpik (lower body)
77-Oshie (upper body)
92-Kuznetsov (upper body)
Scratches
34-Siegenthaler
NEW YORK
Forwards
36-Zuccarello, 93-Zibanejad, 17-Fast
20-Kreider, 13-Hayes, 72-Chytil
90-Namestnikov, 21-Howden, 16-Strome
26-Vesey, 50-Andersson, 38-Fogarty
Defensemen
76-Skjei, 77-DeAngelo
18-Staal, 44-Pionk
33-Claesson, 22-Shattenkirk
Goaltenders
40-Georgiev
30-Lundqvist
Injuries
8-McLeod (hand)
54-McQuaid (lower body)
89-Buchnevich (thumb)
Scratches
42-Smith
