Game Preview: Islanders at Capitals

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (8-10-5) AT WASHINGTON CAPITALS (15-6-1)

3 PM | CAPITAL ONE ARENA

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The New York Islanders will look to snap a two-game losing streak when take on the Washington Capitals in a Metropolitan Division matchup on Black Friday in the nation’s capital.

The Islanders went 1-2-0 on their three-game homestand, most recently falling 6-3 to the Boston Bruins on Wednesday night at UBS Arena. Brock Nelson potted a pair of goals and Max Tsyplakov scored in a game that saw the Isles rally out of 2-0 and 3-2 holes, but never pull ahead.

With Thanksgiving serving as the unofficial quarter mark of the NHL season, the Islanders find themselves three points behind the Tampa Bay Lightning for the second wild card spot, with four teams between them. The Isles know they’ll need to start stringing wins together.

“We talk about getting on a good stretch and the teams in the East are chasing,” Nelson said. “We have a lot of hockey left and we know we can get the job done to go on a little run because all these games are crucial. We need to learn from our mistakes and be better.”

The Capitals are coming off a 5-4 comeback win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday night, as the Caps dug out of 2-0, 3-2 and 4-3 holes, respectively. Tom Wilson (1G, 1A), Dylan Strome (1G, 1A) and Aliaksei Protas (1G, 1A) each had two points in the win.

UPDATES

- Hudson Fasching is expected to return to the Islanders lineup on Friday, skating in his firsts game since Nov. 5. Fasching has yet to record a point in five games this season, but Head Coach Patrick Roy said the 29-year-old forward has been working hard in practice waiting for an opportunity.

- The starting netminders for either team are to be determined.

ISLES NOTES:

- Third periods continued to be a problem for the Islanders on Wednesday, as the team allowed three goals in the final frame for a second straight game. The Islanders have allowed a league-high 36 third period goals this season.

- Brock Nelson extended his point streak to three games with two goals and an assist on Wednesday. Nelson has seven points (3G, 4A) over that span.

“Fasching is a phenomenal person, he's a team guy, he's doing exactly what you want, and I expect him to play against Washington,” Roy said. “He’s a team guy, and I know that if I throw him in, he's going to do the job.”

Roy did not reveal who would come out of the lineup to accommodate Fasching’s return.

- Ryan Pulock’s next point will be his 200^th.

- The Islanders will conclude their back-to-back set on Saturday against Buffalo. The Isles are 1-1-0 on the front end and 0-2-0 on the back end this season. This weekend’s back-to-back also concludes a stretch of 17 games in 33 days for the Islanders.

CAPITALS NOTES:

- The Capitals are off to a hot start with a 15-6-1 record this season, good for third place in the Metropolitan Division, just two points back of the first place Carolina Hurricanes.

- Washington is the NHL’s highest-scoring team, averaging 4.09 goals per game – and ninth in goals-against-per-game (2.73). The Capitals penalty kill ranks fourth in the NHL at 84.7%. The Capitals start fast, as their 33 first period goals lead the NHL.

- The Capitals remade their roster in the offseason, acquiring forward Pierre-Luc Dubois from the LA Kings in exchange for goaltender Darcy Kuemper. Dubois has 14 points (2G, 12A) in 21 games so far for the Capitals.

Washington also acquired defenseman Jakob Chychrun from the Ottawa Senators and forward Andrew Mangiapane from the Calgary Flames. Chychrun has 12 points (6G, 6A) in 17 games for the Caps, while Mangiapane has nine points (5G, 4A) in 22 games.

The Caps also acquired goaltender Logan Thompson from the Vegas Golden Knights, filling the void of Kuemper’s departure. Thompson is 9-1-1 to start his Caps career with a 2.44 GAA and a .917 SV%.

- Alex Ovechkin will miss Friday’s game as the superstar is currently recovering from a broken fibula he suffered on Nov. 18 in Utah. The injury is expected to sideline Ovechkin for 4-6 weeks, which marks the longest absence of his career. Ovechkin was on fire to start the season with 15 goals – and 25 total points – in 18 games. Ovechkin has 868 career goals, which is 26 shy of tying Wayne Gretzky’s record and 27 shy of setting a new NHL standard.

- A new era of Capitals are among the team’s scoring leaders. Dylan Strome leads the team with 31 points (7G, 24A) in 22 games. Connor McMichael – the Caps’ 2019 first-round pick (25^th overall) has 20 points (13G, 7A) in 22 games, while Aliaksei Protas also has 20 points (8G, 12A).