Feb. 2 vs. New York Islanders at Capital One Arena
Time: 7:00 p.m.
TV: MNMT
Radio: 106.7 THE FAN/Caps Radio Network
New York Islanders (30-20-5)
Washington Capitals (27-22-7)
Two nights after a thrilling and stirring comeback victory over the Carolina Hurricanes, the Caps host the New York Islanders on Monday night in the District. Monday’s Metropolitan Division match-up finishes a two-game homestand and starts a set of back-to-back games against Metro foes. The Caps will take on the Flyers in Philadelphia on Tuesday.
For the first time in nearly two months, the Caps enter Monday’s game with a modest two-game winning streak. Washington finished its six-game road trip with a 4-3 shootout win over the Red Wings in Detroit, and less than 48 hours later it rallied from a three-goal deficit to win by the same score over Carolina in overtime at Capital One Arena.
One of the most heartening elements of Saturday’s win was how well Washington played and for how much of the 60-plus minutes. The Caps handed the Hurricanes a healthy dose of their own medicine, pouring 42 shots on veteran netminder Freddie Andersen, the second highest shot total achieved in a game against the Canes this season.
And even in the process of falling down a couple of goals in the first, the Caps registered 19 shots on net in the first period, the most they’ve mustered in an opening frame this season. The Caps’ forecheck was consistent, their retrievals were frequent, and the pressure was relentless at times.
“There was a bunch of instances that we just continued to gain momentum throughout different moments in the game,” says Caps coach Spencer Carbery, “whether it was drawing a penalty or scoring a goal, or getting scored on, but we just were fine. We just went right back to our game and what we were trying to do.”
At the other end of the ice, Clay Stevenson was sturdy in his second career NHL start, blanking the Canes across the final 35-plus minutes of the game. And although the disciplined Caps took but two penalties in the game, they were stacked together in the middle of the second period. The result was a Carolina 5-on-3 power play for 64 seconds – the seventh 5-on-3 the Caps have faced in their last dozen games (h/t Carter Myers) – a span the Caps navigated successfully. Three of Stevenson’s 19 stops came while Carolina was on the power play.
“I thought he was excellent,” says Carbery of Stevenson. “And in really tough circumstances. He gets thrown into the fire with what’s going on; this wasn’t scripted … This is a very quick situation where all of a sudden, you’re going to start an important regular season game against one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference.
“I just thought his calmness – which I think is a staple of his; I don’t think you can rattle Clay Stevenson – to keep [the deficit] at three. We just needed him to keep it at three, and I told the guys that. He did a phenomenal job of that. There wasn’t a ton of action or a ton of high danger chances, but he did face three or four and we needed him to make a big save.”
With three games remaining in four nights between now and the onset of a three-week pause for the NHL’s participation in the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, the Caps realize they’ve got to keep pushing for points, especially in games against divisional opponents, like this upcoming set of back-to-backs. They’ve still got a climb ahead of them as they try to claw their way into a playoff position, and four-point divisional games carry more weight when only 11 of them remain.
“If you look at the standings, like there's no room for error,” says Caps center Dylan Strome. “The last two especially, it felt like playoff type atmospheres, just kind of the games that we've been playing, We had a great game in Detroit until the last minute and a half and they get two, so we’ve just got to keep riding the momentum.
“We play two out of our next three against Metro teams, and teams that we're chasing, well, not sure about Philly; I think we're right there with them. But teams that are right around us, so we're going to need two huge efforts. And then Nashville is never an easy game, no matter where you play them. So going to be three tough games, but we’ve got to keep it rolling,”
The Islanders are in third place in the Metro Division standings, four points ahead of the Caps. When the two teams last met on Long Island on Nov. 30, the Caps skated away with a 4-1 victory that left them in third in the Metro, three points up on the Isles at the time. In the interim, the Isles (17-10-2, .621) have the League’s 10th best point percentage while Washington’s (12-13-5, .483) ranks 24th.
New York is sustaining its playoff drive by avoiding lengthy cold spells. The Isles’ longest winning streak of the season is four games, achieved twice, both before the midpoint of November. But the Islanders have not gone more than two games without collecting a point since the first three games of the season (0-3-0).
The Isles carried a three-game winning streak into their most recent game, Saturday at home against the Preds. But New York was unable to sustain an early two-goal lead carved out before the game’s first television timeout, and it ultimately fell to Nashville by a 4-3 count when Preds captain Roman Josi broke a 3-3 deadlock with 1:14 remaining in regulation.
The Caps have taken both games played in New York between the two Metro rivals this season, and the Isles won the lone previous game here in DC, downing the Caps here by a 3-1 count on Halloween Night.
