Capitals host red-hot Rangers at Capital One Arena

The Washington Capitals (2-1-0) host the New York Rangers (4-1-0) tonight at Capital One Arena, puck drop 7 p.m. Eastern. NHL Network carries the game nationally, with MNMT on the call in Washington and MSG in New York. Read more: Capitals host red-hot Rangers art Capital One Arena. 

Washington opened the season with a 5-2 win at Carolina, then lost 3-1 at Tampa Bay. The Capitals beat Pittsburgh 5-3 at home Wednesday for their first win at Capital One Arena this season.

New York arrives riding four straight wins, outscoring that stretch of opponents by a combined 16-5, according to ESPN's box scores. That streak has come against Tampa Bay (5-1), Detroit (2-0), Utah (4-2) and the Islanders (5-2).

New York is 3-0-0 at home and 1-1-0 on the road this season. Washington is 1-0-0 at home and 1-1-0 on the road.

Tonight is the 252nd regular-season meeting between the two clubs. Washington has won the previous 251 meetings by a 122-103-18-8 margin, per NHL.com.

Both goalies unconfirmed

Neither team had named a starter as of Friday morning. Daily Faceoff listed both Logan Thompson and Igor Shesterkin as unconfirmed for tonight's game.

Related: Caps dominate Pens in iconic opener

Thompson is 2-0 with a .921 save percentage and a 2.50 goals-against average through two starts. Charlie Lindgren is 0-1 with a .931 save percentage in his only start. Shesterkin has made four starts, going 3-1 with a 1.76 GAA and a .926 save percentage, and Dylan Garand has the only other appearance, a shutout.

"We're getting consistent efforts," Rangers forward Mika Zibanejad said this week. "We're playing hard. We're on the same page and our team game is great."

Injury lists for both sides

Washington is without defenseman Matt Roy, sidelined with a lower-body injury and listed day-to-day with a return date of today. Forward Patrick Thomas remains on injured reserve with an upper-body injury and isn't expected back until Oct. 24. Defenseman Rasmus Sandin is out until Dec. 26 after knee surgery.

New York is missing goaltender Joonas Korpisalo, on injured reserve with a lower-body injury and also carrying a return date of today. Forward Joe Veleno is targeting Oct. 13, forward Aidan Thompson is out until Oct. 11, and winger Adam Sykora isn't expected back until Jan. 25.

DraftKings lists Washington as a 1.5-goal favorite on the puck line, priced at +190, with New York getting those points at -230. The straight moneyline favors Washington at -142 to New York's +120. The total sits at 5.5 goals, with the over at -125 and the under at +105, according to ESPN's odds page.

Washington showed Wednesday it can hold a lead at home. Friday's opponent is a sharper test, a team that hasn't trailed by more than a goal since its opener. The Capitals play again Sunday, when the Seattle Kraken visit Capital One Arena at 5 p.m.