Before beginning their Western Canada road trip, the New York Islanders (5-4-3) host the Washington Capitals (5-4-2).
Before beginning their Western Canada road trip, the New York Islanders (5-4-3) host the Washington Capitals (5-4-2).
Before beginning their Western Canada road trip, the New York Islanders (5-4-3) host the Washington Capitals (5-4-2).
Puck drop from UBS Arena is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
The Islanders’ losing streak was extended to three games on Thursday night against the Boston Bruins. Despite Boston taking the lead twice in the first two periods, New York rallied back both times. However, the final frame once again proved to be the team’s Achilles heel; New York surrendered three goals in the period. and Charlie Coyle finished a hat trick to cap off a 5-2 loss.
Ironically, the Islanders’ last win came against the Capitals on November 2. Ryan Pulock, Simon Holmstrom, and Brock Nelson all tallied goals, while Semyon Varlamov stopped all 32 Washington shots in a 3-0 victory in our nation’s capital.
Morning Skate Updates
The Islanders held a morning skate on Saturday morning.
Varlamov left the ice first for the Islanders, he will make his fifth start of the season and face the Capitals once again (2-2-0, 1.77 GAA, .950 SV%).
Washington did not skate Saturday, with the team entering the second game of a back-to-back.
Defenseman Martin Fehervary left Friday night’s game against the New Jersey Devils due to a lower-body injury.
Prior to Washington’s game last night, the Capitals saw considerable roster turnover. Forward Anthony Mantha and defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk were placed on the injured reserve, and forwards Nic Dowd and Nicolas Aube-Kubel entered the lineup on Friday, along with defenseman Lucas Johansen.
Charlie Lindgren took the crease last night against the Devils, so Darcy Kuemper will likely make his eighth start of the season, his second against New York (3-3-2, 2.56 GAA, .916 SV%), if he's healthy.
If not, Hunter Shepard will make his second career start, as he was recalled from Hershey (AHL) Friday and served as Lindgren's backup.
New York Islanders Lines
Mathew Barzal - Bo Horvat - Simon Holmstrom
Pierre Engvall - Brock Nelson - Kyle Palmieri
Anders Lee - Jean-Gabriel Pageau - Hudson Fasching
Matt Martin - Casey Cizikas - Cal Clutterbuck
Sebastian Aho - Noah Dobson
Alexander Romanov - Ryan Pulock
Samuel Bolduc - Scott Mayfield
Semyon Varlamov
Ilya Sorokin
Washington Capitals Lines (Projected)
Alex Ovechkin - Evgeny Kuzentsov - Tom Wilson
Sonny Milano - Dylan Strome - T.J. Oshie
Aliaksei Protas - Connor McMichael - Matthew Phillips
Beck Malenstyn - Nic Dowd - Nicolas Aube-Kubel
Martin Fehrevary - John Carlson
Rasmus Sandin - Nick Jensen
Hardy Häman Aktell - Lucas Johansen
Darcy Kuemper
Charlie Lindgren
Islanders Notes
Noah Dobson added to his scoring hot streak on Thursday with an assist on Nelson’s power-play goal. He now boasts 12 points in as many games and is riding a three-game point streak.
Nelson’s goal in the Islanders’ last matchup against Washington gave him 13 for his career, alongside 25 points. He leads active Islanders in both categories against the Capitals.
Simon Holmstrom tallied his second shorthanded goal in three games against Boston, his first coming last Saturday against the Carolina Hurricanes. The second-year winger also played a season-high 23 shifts against the Bruins.
With Varlamov’s recent shutout, he now boasts 40 for his career and three against the Capitals. In 22 games against his first team, he boasts an 8-11-3 record, 2.50 GAA and .922 SV%.
Capitals Notes
Washington enters tonight’s game off a 4-2 win over the New Jersey Devils. The Capitals jumped out to a 3-0 lead after two periods on goals from Aube-Kubel, Beck Malenstyn, and Evgeny Kuznetsov. New Jersey made it a game in the final frame with goals from Timo Meier and Dawson Mercer, but an empty netter from Kuznetsov sealed the victory.
The Capitals have enjoyed success at UBS Arena. Washington has won three road matchups against the Islanders, including both games last season. Their most recent meeting on Long Island saw Washington tally five unanswered after Pierre Engvall opened the scoring, propelling the Capitals to a 5-1 triumph.
While Alex Ovechkin’s chase to catch Wayne Gretzky for the most career goals has stalled recently, he is always someone to watch the Islanders. His 42 goals lead all Capitals for goals against New York lifetime, including 12 on the power play. John Carlson leads all Washington players in assists against the Islanders with 24.
Darcy Kuemper still has strong numbers against the Islanders, despite the setback earlier this month. He boasts a 5-5-2 record in 13 games with a 2.62 GAA and .908 SV%.
Betting Corner
Do you think the Islanders will beat the Capitals? The Islanders enter as a sizable favorite for tonight’s game, boasting a -190 on the money line, opposite of Washington’s +155. The over/under comes in at six goals, the under at -120, with the over at +100.
All lines are courtesy of MGM Sportsbook.
How To Watch
Tonight’s game can be found on MSGSN. On the radio, tonight’s contest can be found on 88.7 FM WRHU, 98.7 FM ESPN, and 103.9 LI News Radio.
Matthew Page contributed to this report.