Caps Host Isles
Caps make quick stop at home to host Islanders for first time this season
Back from a successful tour of Western Canada last week, the Caps make a quick stop at home to host the New York Islanders for the first time this season on Tuesday night at Capital One Arena. Tuesday's tilt with the Isles is Washington's lone home game in a stretch in which they are playing five of six on the road.
Last week, the Caps played three games in four nights, all on the road and all in Western Canada. Despite trailing at some point in the third period of all three games, the Caps earned a point in all three games and won two of them. Following a 4-3 overtime win in Vancouver on Friday night in the trip finale, the Caps spent Saturday flying home and they took Sunday off. Washington reconvened for a Monday practice at MedStar Capitals Iceplex.
When the Caps took the ice for Monday's practice session, they were without one of the heroes of Friday's game, center Lars Eller. Soon after scoring the game-winner in the first minute of overtime on Friday against the Canucks, Eller learned he would be placed in the COVID-19 protocol, requiring him to remain in Vancouver while the rest of his teammates headed back home.
"Just when you think it's in the rear-view mirror," says Caps coach Peter Laviolette. "But it happened. We still follow the rules and the protocols and the things that are in place for our team, and Lars is there. So whenever that time is - and we're working through that - we'll get him back."
For Monday's practice, the Caps slid Connor McMichael from left wing to Eller's vacated spot in the middle of that line with Tom Wilson on the right side. Daniel Sprong - a healthy extra for the last four games and eight of the last nine - stepped in on the left side, but it's also possible that Washington could make a roster move to add a 13th forward between now and Tuesday's morning skate.
Washington's success out west was due to some team-wide diligence within those games, and to some timely stops from its netminders and some staunch special teams play.
"I think we've shown some resiliency," says Laviolette. "We had to fight back in some games. The back-to-back was tough, and anytime you go to Western Canada it's a tough trip and you're dealing with a lot of different things. There were some real positives with just staying with it and the resiliency inside the game. I thought the power play had some big goals for us throughout the trip - and it seems to be pointed in the right direction - so that was positive.
"But it was a good trip. It's five out of six and nine out of 10 points in our last five games, and some tough games coming up and we've got to keep it going."
As the Caps vie to keep it going, they'll play three games in four nights again, starting with Tuesday's tilt against the Islanders. Then they'll take to the road for a set of back-to-backs in Columbus on Thursday and Carolina on Friday.
"Guys are excited to play these divisional match-ups," says Caps center Nic Dowd. "And we have a bit of history with them just based on rivalry. We played them so much last year, and we played them in the playoffs a couple of years back, so I think it's an easy game for guys to get up for.
"I think both teams match up well against each other. Both are pretty defensive teams, and for whatever reason we've played well against them lately. Our goaltenders have played well, and we've won some hockey games."
Last April 1, the Caps absorbed a thorough 8-4 lashing at the hands of the Islanders in New York. Five nights later, they dropped a 1-0 decision to the Isles in the same building, the Isles' former Nassau Coliseum home. But since then, the Caps have won four straight games against New York, and three of the victories have come via the shutout route.
In the lone meeting between the two Metro rivals thus far this season, Vitek Vanecek blanked the Isles on 23 shots, winning 2-0 on Washington's first-ever visit to the Islanders' new home in Belmont, NY exactly two months ago. Vanecek has authored two of the three shutouts the Caps have in their last four games against New York.
The Islanders come into town on a roll; they've won three straight games, matching their most prosperous run of the season to date. With these three consecutive victories, the Islanders have hit what passes for NHL .500 (24-24-8).
Most recently, the Isles took down the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday afternoon in their homestand finale, winning 4-3. The Islanders have yielded just five goals against during the life of their three-game winning streak.
New York just finished up a six-game homestand, and it is opening a quick two-game road trip on Tuesday in Washington. The Isles will face the Rangers in Manhattan on Thursday before heading back home to host Dallas on Saturday.
Tuesday's game is the first of three games between the Caps and the Islanders the rest of the way, as New York will be Washington's most frequent opponent from now until the season winds up on April 29. The Caps host the Islanders again on April 26 and will face them in New York two nights later, finishing off a home-and home set and starting off a set of season-ending back-to-backs on the road against the Isles on April 28 and the Rangers the following night.
