The New York Rangers are looking to end a two-game losing streak as they battle the Washington Capitals on Wednesday afternoon at 12:30 p.m. EST.

The Rangers are 19-17-5 and fifth in the Metropolitan Division. They just lost to the Carolina Hurricanes on the road 3-2 in overtime. It was 1-1 after one period of play. New York led 1-0 after two, and they gave up that lead halfway through the third period. Carolina outshot New York 35-20, outhit them 25-23, and won in faceoffs 43-29. The Rangers were 1-for-2 on the power play and the penalty kill was 2-for-4 on stops. New York did well with blocked shots and got some pressure from the Canes giveaways.

The Capitals are 20-14-5 and third in the Metropolitan Division. They just lost to the Florida Panthers on the road 5-3. It was 2-2 after one period of play. The Caps took an early lead in the third, but then Florida scored three straight goals. Washington was outshot 29-27 but won in faceoffs 31-27 and hits 19-16. The Capitals were 1-for-6 on the power play and the penalty kill was 5-for-6 on stops. The Caps did well with blocked shots and Tom Wilson was the third star with two goals and one assist.

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Note: The above data was collected on Dec. 31, 2025, and may have changed since writing.

New York Rangers

Washington Capitals

New York is 31st in scoring, seventh in goals against, 17th on the power play, and 15th on the penalty kill. Artemi Panarin leads the team in goals, assists, and points. The Rangers are 14-7-2 on the road and 4-5-1 in their last 10 games. They have a goal differential of negative four. New York might get a defensive boost in this game because Adam Fox might return from injury, and he is a game-time decision. During this two-game skid, their scoring has been trending down, and the last win was a 7-3 victory against the Capitals. Vincent Trocheck has been productive recently and New York will try to keep the solid defense going, but also score throughout the game.

Washington is 11th in scoring, eighth in goals against, 30th on the power play, 26th on the penalty kill. Tom Wilson leads the team in goals and points. The Capitals are 11-7-2 at home and 3-5-2 in their last 10 games. They have a plus 13 goal differential, which is third best in the Eastern Conference. This team has lost four of their last five games and the defense has been inconsistent. Washington has won four of the past five meetings against the Rangers. The Capitals hold advantages in key underlying metrics like expected goals for and against per 60 minutes. Alex Ovechkin has scored four goals in his last five games against New York.

Best Bet: Over

Both teams have been struggling the last few games. The Rangers have a scoring issue and the Capitals aren't playing well on both sides of the puck. This will be stop five on New York's road trip and the offense was clicking last time around. Washington will definitely tighten things up this time around and get the offense going instead.