Carlson, Capitals to host the Senators

Ottawa Senators (16-21-5, seventh in the Atlantic Division) vs. Washington Capitals (29-9-5, first in the Metropolitan Division)

Washington; Tuesday, 7 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: John Carlson leads Washington into a matchup with Ottawa. He currently ranks 10th in the league with 52 points, scoring 13 goals and totaling 39 assists.

The Capitals are 17-7-1 against Eastern Conference opponents. Washington is fourth in the NHL averaging 3.5 goals per game, led by Alex Ovechkin with 24.

The Senators are 6-7-2 against opponents from the Atlantic Division. Ottawa averages 10.1 penalty minutes per game, the sixth-most in the NHL. Mark Borowiecki leads the team serving 54 total minutes.

The matchup Tuesday is the first meeting of the season for the two teams.

TOP PERFORMERS: Ovechkin leads the Capitals with 24 goals, adding 16 assists and collecting 40 points. Nicklas Backstrom has collected eight assists over the last 10 games for Washington.

Anthony Duclair leads the Senators with 21 goals and has 32 points. Jean-Gabriel Pageau has recorded three goals and five assists over the last 10 games for Ottawa.

LAST 10 GAMES: Senators: 3-4-3, averaging 3.1 goals, 4.9 assists, 4.1 penalties and 10.9 penalty minutes while allowing four goals per game with a .887 save percentage.

Capitals: 6-4-0, averaging 3.5 goals, 6.3 assists, 5.2 penalties and 12.9 penalty minutes while giving up three goals per game with a .887 save percentage.

INJURIES: Capitals: Christian Djoos: day to day (upper body), Evgeny Kuznetsov: day to day (illness).

Senators: Nikita Zaitsev: day to day (undisclosed), Anthony Duclair: day to day (undisclosed).