#CapsIsles Skate Shavings: Back To The Road

Just under a month ago, the Capitals embarked upon a critical stretch of scheduling in which they'd play nine of 10 games on home ice, sleeping in their own beds for 23 of 24 nights during that span. They've come through that stretch as well or better than could have been expected - posting an 8-2 record while facing some formidable foes - but new challenges are just ahead, as is always the case in the NHL.

"When you look at the schedule at the beginning of the year, you know it's going to be tough," said Caps center Jay Beagle after Washington's fourth straight win, 4-2 over the Rangers, on Friday night. "Some adversity early is always kind of good for the team, and it brings the team together. We start getting guys back and pieces start falling into place, and the homestand helps. It's always fun to play at home. We've just got to keep it rolling."

The Caps are in Brooklyn on Monday to take on the Islanders, the first game of a busy week for Washington. The Capitals will play four games in six nights, weaving road games with home games so that travel will be required for each, and they'll face a team from each of the NHL's four divisions.

After maximizing the return on a favorable stretch of scheduling, the Caps will now aim to take their strong play out on the road, where they'll play six of their next eight games.

"After one of those nights where there wasn't a very good mood in here, I believe I said that I still believed in the potential here," said Caps defenseman Matt Niskanen, after netting the game-winner on Friday against New York. "And we're getting there. We're doing a lot of good things. Now, we have our moments where we're a little flat or we make some mistakes or this or that, but we're doing a lot of good things, too. We're putting the puck in the net, which is a good thing."

Tight Metro - Coming off a victory over the Rangers on Friday, the Caps now take on another Metropolitan Division foe in the Islanders, marking the first time in two months that they've played consecutive contests against divisional foes. Washington has won each of its last four games against Metro opponents, and it is 5-2 vs. fellow Metro denizens this season.

In the ultra-tight Metro standings, the eight teams are separated by a mere 10 points from top to bottom, the tightest spread in any of the league's four divisions. First-place Columbus (39 points) has the lowest point total of any division leader in the league, and last-place Philadelphia (29 points) has the highest point total of any cellar dweller in the league.

It's not at all easy to move up the Metro ladder, but it's all too easy to tumble down.

"They're No. 2 in the league I think offensively," says Caps coach Barry Trotz of the Islanders, "and they're obviously real deep up front. They've got lots going on in their game. Offensively, they really push the pace, and they've got some dynamic people up the middle.

"I think there are two good teams that are going to go nose-to-nose tonight and that's probably the most exciting thing about it, that there are a lot of teams [in the division] jockeying for position. We've met each other a few times, and we are going meet each other a few more times before the end of the year. They're very good at home here, I think they're 8-1-2 and it will be a real good test."

Thirteen - Rookie Isles center Mat Barzal is among the leading contenders for the Calder Trophy, awarded to the NHL's best rookie. Barzal has eight goals and 28 points in 29 games this season, and he leads all rookies in the circuit in scoring.

"He's got dynamic ability to skate with the puck with speed," says Trotz of Barzal. "One-on-one, he challenges you. He's very similar to [Washington's Evgeny Kuznetsov] in the sense that his legs aren't necessarily going 100 miles an hour, but he seems to be generating a lot of speed. He is very confident for a young man."

Also like Kuznetsov, Barzal can appear to have the puck on a string at times.

"Any player like that, it challenges you and your patience for sure," says Caps goaltender Braden Holtby, "and your communication with your teammates, making sure that you're not panicking or running out of position, feeling like under duress. That's usually how those players create chances, they make the other team feel uncomfortable but it really isn't an uncomfortable situation if you let one guy take the puck around [the offensive zone], if you break it down.

"We've started t get better at [facing] players like that. [Patrick] Kane with Chicago, we didn't give him much time, and he is one of the best at it. He's got the puck on a string and we just stayed patient and took away his options. Sooner or later, you run out of space.

"That's really the key. If you don't make it an individual game defensively, it's hard for those individual type players to create chances. But it is tough, because it makes you feel uncomfortable."

Special Teams Trouble - When Washington last encountered the Isles on Nov. 2 in the District, New York was the hot team. The Islanders came into D.C. that night having won five of their previous six games, and their extra-man unit was hot, too. New York had gone 5-for-10 on the power play in its previous two games.

Although the Islanders lost that game to the Caps, they scored a pair of power-play goals that night and two more in their next game, a 6-4 home ice victory over Colorado. At that point, the Isles were a torrid 9-for-16 (56.3%) with the extra man in a four-game stretch.

New York had another nice power play run in mid-November, scoring with the extra man in six straight games. But the Isles have cooled since, and they're 2-for-18 (11.1%) with the man advantage in their last six contests. The Isles have surrendered eight shorthanded goals this season, so they can be vulnerable when up a man.

On the other side of the special teams coin, New York is scuffling. The Isles have allowed a power-play goal in seven straight games and in nine of their last 10 games. The Isles are just 17-for-31 (54.8%) on the kill in their last 10 games.

In The Nets -With 16 wins this season, Holtby is tied for fourth in the league, and he will aim for his 17th win tonight against New York. He has won 12 of his last 15 starts dating back to late October, posting a 2.44 GAA and a .925 save pct. over that span.

Although Holtby is 6-2-0 in his eight road starts this season, he has a 3.54 road GAA (compared to 2.07 at home) and an .892 save pct. (compared to .921 at home) on the road in 2017-18. Lifetime against the Islanders, Holtby is 13-3-3 in 19 career appearances, with a 2.32 GAA and a .924 save pct.

For the Islanders, ex-Cap Jaroslav Halak gets the net on Monday against Washington. Halak won five of his first seven starts this season, but since the start of November, he is 3-5-1 in nine outings, with a 3.17 GAA and an .896 save pct.

Lifetime against the Capitals during the regular season, Halak is 8-8-0 in 16 games, with a shutout, a 2.75 GAA and a .902 save pct.

All Lined Up - Here's how we expect the Caps and the Islanders to look when they lineup on Monday night at Barclays Center for the second of their four meetings this season:

WASHINGTONForwards

8-Ovechkin, 19-Backstrom, 43-Wilson

13-Vrana, 92-Kuznetsov, 39-Chiasson

65-Burakovsky, 20-Eller, 10-Connolly

18-Stephenson, 83-Beagle, 25-Smith-Pelly

Defensemen

9-Orlov, 2-Niskanen

44-Orpik, 74-Carlson

29-Djoos, 22-Bowey

Goaltenders

70-Holtby

31-Grubauer

Scratches

4-Chorney

Injured

77-Oshie (upper body)

NEW YORKForwards

27-Lee, 91-Tavares, 12-Bailey

7-Eberle, 13-Barzal, 16-Ladd

72-Beauvillier, 29-Nelson, 66-Ho-Sang

25-Chimera, 53-Cizikas, 15-Clutterbuck

Defensemen

2-Leddy 6-Pulock

44-de Haan, 50-Pelech

42-Mayfield, 4-Seidenberg

Goaltenders

41-Halak

1-Greiss

Scratches

None

Injuries

10-Quine (undisclosed)

14-Hickey (upper body)

55-Boychuk (undisclosed, game time decision)

86-Kulemin (upper body)