Washington Capitals (28-23-9, fifth in the Metropolitan Division) vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (28-24-8, sixth in the Metropolitan Division)
Pittsburgh; Thursday, 7 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: The Pittsburgh Penguins, on a three-game home winning streak, host the Washington Capitals.
Pittsburgh has gone 28-24-8 overall with an 8-4-4 record against the Metropolitan Division. The Penguins have allowed 167 goals while scoring 177 for a +10 scoring differential.
Washington has a 28-23-9 record overall and a 13-7-1 record in Metropolitan Division games. The Capitals have gone 22-4-4 in games they score at least three goals.
Thursday's game is the third meeting between these teams this season. The Capitals won the previous meeting 4-3.
TOP PERFORMERS: Evgeni Malkin has scored 18 goals with 30 assists for the Penguins. Sidney Crosby has four goals and seven assists over the past 10 games.
Dylan Strome has scored 22 goals with 25 assists for the Capitals. Anthony Mantha has four goals and six assists over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Penguins: 5-4-1, averaging 3.3 goals, 5.2 assists, 3.2 penalties and 6.6 penalty minutes while giving up 3.3 goals per game.
Capitals: 5-3-2, averaging 3.8 goals, 6.6 assists, 3.6 penalties and 9.1 penalty minutes while giving up 3.5 goals per game.
INJURIES: Penguins: Jake Guentzel: out (upper body), Bryan Rust: out (upper body), Jansen Harkins: day to day (upper body), Noel Acciari: day to day (upper body), Matt Nieto: out (knee).
Capitals: T.J. Oshie: out (upper body), Nic Dowd: out (upper-body), Nicklas Backstrom: out (hip), Martin Fehervary: out (lower-body).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
