Preview: Andersson, Chytil Slated to Play Against Caps at Garden

Rangers (33-34-8, 74 pts) vs. Capitals (44-24-7, 95 pts)

7:30 pm; Madison Square Garden

NBCSN; ESPN 1050 AM

The Rangers are coming off an impressive 5-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres Saturday night. Jimmy Vesey scored twice and defenseman Neal Pionk added his first NHL goal. Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider also scored and goaltender Alexandar Georgiev made 43 saves for the victory.
Monday's tilt begins a home-and-home series with the Capitals that concludes Wednesday night in D.C. The two clubs have split the first two meetings of the season, with the Rangers winning in a shootout, 1-0, on Dec. 27 at The Garden.
Washington enters tonight's game on a three-game winning streak and are three points ahead of Pittsburgh for the top spot in the Metropolitan Division standings.
Alex Ovechkin leads the team - and the NHL - with 44 goals, and also leads the team with 81 points in 75 games, followed by Evgeny Kuznetsov's 73 points, including a team-high 50 assists.
Braden Holtby is 31-15-4, though his 3.03 GAA and .906 SV% are higher than what he's been accustomed to over the years. Backup Philipp Grubauer has started - and won - the previous two games and is 13-9-3 this season with a .923 SV%.

Players to Watch

If as expected both play, it'll be worth watch Andersson and Chytil against one of the NHL's best squads. As stated, Chytil has two games - the first two of the season - under his belt, but Andersson would appear in the NHL for the first time.
Defenseman John Carlson has established career-highs with 15 goals, 48 assists and 63 points. The 28-year-old is hot with points in seven of his last eight games, with three goals and seven assists for 10 points during that span.

Inside the Numbers

If both Andersson and Chytil play, they'd become the first pair of teenagers to play in the same game with the Rangers since Dec. 19, 1974 (Dave Maloney, who was playing in his second career NHL game, and Ron Greschner).