Top scorers Pastrnak and Carlson meet in Boston-Washington matchup

Washington Capitals (26-6-5, first in the Metropolitan Division) vs. Boston Bruins (21-7-9, first in the Atlantic Division)

Boston; Monday, 7 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: A pair of the NHL's top scorers, David Pastrnak and John Carlson, meet when Boston and Washington hit the ice. Pastrnak currently ranks fourth in the NHL with 51 points and Carlson ranks eighth in the league with 47 points.

The Bruins are 14-5-6 against Eastern Conference opponents. Boston has scored 123 goals and ranks seventh in the league averaging 3.3 per game. Pastrnak leads the team with 28.

The Capitals are 4-3-1 against opponents from the Metropolitan Division. Washington averages 10.2 penalty minutes per game, the fourth-most in the NHL. Garnet Hathaway leads the team serving 51 total minutes.

In their last meeting on Dec. 11, Washington won 3-2. T.J. Oshie recorded a team-high 2 points for the Capitals.

TOP PERFORMERS: Zdeno Chara leads the Bruins with a plus-18 in 37 games played this season. Pastrnak has totaled three goals and six assists over the last 10 games for Boston.

Carlson leads the Capitals with 47 points, scoring 13 goals and registering 34 assists. Nicklas Backstrom has totaled 9 points over the last 10 games for Washington.

LAST 10 GAMES: Capitals: 8-2-0, averaging 3.5 goals, 5.7 assists, 4.7 penalties and 11.7 penalty minutes while giving up 2.2 goals per game with a .920 save percentage.

Bruins: 2-4-4, averaging 2.4 goals, 4.3 assists, 2.9 penalties and 6.7 penalty minutes while giving up 2.8 goals per game with a .895 save percentage.

INJURIES: Bruins: Brett Ritchie: out (illness).

Capitals: None listed.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.