New Jersey takes on Washington, looks to break 3-game slide
New Jersey Devils (15-21-7, eighth in the Metropolitan Division) vs. Washington Capitals (30-10-5, first in the Metropolitan Division)
Washington; Saturday, 7 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: New Jersey looks to end its three-game skid with a win over Washington.
The Capitals are 6-6-1 against the rest of their division. Washington ranks fourth in the league averaging 3.6 goals per game, led by Alex Ovechkin with 26.
The Devils are 4-6-2 against opponents from the Metropolitan Division. New Jersey averages 10.3 penalty minutes per game, the fifth-most in the league. Wayne Simmonds leads the team serving 54 total minutes.
In their last meeting on Dec. 20, Washington won 6-3. Nicklas Backstrom scored a team-high two goals for the Capitals in the victory.
TOP PERFORMERS: Ovechkin leads the Capitals with 26 goals and has recorded 42 points. Backstrom has totaled 11 points over the last 10 games for Washington.
Kyle Palmieri leads the Devils with a plus-two in 43 games played this season. Nikita Gusev has totaled two goals and eight assists over the last 10 games for New Jersey.
LAST 10 GAMES: Devils: 4-4-2, averaging 3.1 goals, 5.5 assists, 4.7 penalties and 13.7 penalty minutes while allowing 3.5 goals per game with a .894 save percentage.
Capitals: 6-4-0, averaging 3.8 goals, 6.9 assists, 4.7 penalties and 12.4 penalty minutes while giving up 2.9 goals per game with a .893 save percentage.
INJURIES: Capitals: Christian Djoos: day to day (upper body).
Devils: Jack Hughes: day to day (upper body), Jesper Bratt: day to day (lower body).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.