Game Preview: Islanders at Capitals

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (3-3-0) AT WASHINGTON CAPITALS (4-0-3)
7PM | CAPITAL ONE ARENA
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For the second time in as many games the New York Islanders (3-3-0, 7th East) and Washington Capitals (4-0-3, 1st East) meet in the nation's capital.
The Islanders were rid of earning at least a point on Tuesday night as Justin Schultz delivered the game-winner with 26.4 seconds left in regulation to cement the 3-2 win for the Capitals at Capital One Arena.

The Islanders got on the board with a first-period goal from Noah Dobson and a second period strike from Mathew Barzal. Semyon Varlamov stopped 34 of 37 shots he faced.
For the Capitals, John Carlson provided the first goal of the night on the power play in the first period while Daniel Sprong sniped in a shot past Varlamov in the second period. Vitek Vanecek earned his third win of his NHL career as he made 32 saves.

Head Coach Barry Trotz called it a 'missed opportunity' for his team after killing off a five-minute major late in the third period after Leo Komarov boarded Lars Eller, as the Islanders were hopeful they could pick up a road win in overtime. That hope was dismantled in the final minute of play as the Caps countered on a rush and Schultz rifled his shot on Varlamov's low blocker. The loss marked the Islanders second-straight one and second of their five-game road trip. The Islanders have also lost three-straight road games this season.
Trotz noted, post-game, that he will expect to shakeup the lineup up for Thursday's rematch.
"We need more. We had one line tonight, that's all I felt like I had," Trotz said. "That's been a couple games in a row here. We're going to shake it up. We're going to put some new people in and go from there."
Update: Trotz confirmed following morning skate that lineup changes will be made in their game against the Caps on Thursday night.
"There will be a change or two," Trotz said. "We'll make some changes, you'll see."

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ISLANDERS NOTES:

• Dobson scored his first goal of the season and second goal of his young career with a point shot in the first period. The 21-year-old blueliner has received high praise from his teammates and coaches, as he's taken on a larger role in his sophomore season in the NHL. Through six games this season, Dobson leads the Islanders defensemen in scoring with four points (1G, 3A).
• Barzal scored his third goal of the season, after intercepting Zdeno Chara's clear in the slot, and showcased a nifty move of backhand, forehand, backhand move that resulted in the puck going top-shelf. Through six games this season, the 23-year-old center leads the Islanders in points (6) and goals (3). Barzal also had the primary assist on Dobson's goal. Barzal also fired off a game-high of six shots.
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• Eberle recorded the secondary assist on Dobson's goal and now has four points (2G, 2A) through six games this season.
• Komarov replaced Michael Dal Colle in the lineup. Komarov made his season debut against the Caps and played alongside Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Ross Johnston. Komarov played 11:17, had one hit and one block.
• Varlamov made his fourth start of the season and suffered his first loss of the season, all while relinquishing more than one goal against for the first time this year. The Russian netminder made 34 saves. Varlamov now has a record of 3-1-0, a 1.00 GAA and a .966 SV%
• Kieffer Bellows returned to the lineup in place of Anthony Beauvillier as Beauvillier was placed on IR ahead of the game against the Caps. Beauvillier suffered a lower-body injury in the second period of Sunday night's game at New Jersey. Bellows logged 11:04 time on ice, including 1:12 on the power play, had two shots, two hits and one block.
• The Islanders split faceoff wins 50/50 with the Capitals, they are still ranked second overall in the NHL at faceoff wins with a FOW% of 56.8%.
• The Islanders held the edge over the Caps in hits (18-14) and blocks (21-16). Johnston threw a game-high of four hits and Ryan Pulock had a game-high of four blocks.
• The Islanders power play went 0-for-3 while their penalty kill went 1-for-2.
• The Islanders allow the second fewest amount of goals against in the NHL with an average of 1.83.
• Through six games this season, the Islanders are 3-0-0 when scoring first and are 0-3-0 when allowing the opening goal.
• Anders Lee will appear in his 500th NHL game on Thursday against the Capitals. Lee becomes the 32nd player in franchise history to reach 500-career games with the Islanders.
• Josh Bailey will play in his 872nd NHL game, matching Clark Gillies for fourth place on the all-time list in franchise history. Only Bryan Trottier (1123), Denis Potvin (1060) and Bob Nystrom (900) rank higher.

Video: Pregame 1/28: Barry Trotz

CAPITALS NOTES:

• With the game-winning goal, Schultz extended his goal streak to two games and now has four points (2G, 2A) in that span and on the season through seven games. The defenseman also assisted on Carlson's first period power-play goal.
• With a goal and an assist, Carlson extended his point streak to four games with five points (1G, 4A) during that span. Through seven games this season, the blueliner now has seven points (2G, 5A) and one power-play goal.
• Backstrom assisted on Carlson's goal and extended his point streak to three games with four points (2G, 2A) during that stretch. Through seven games this season, the Swede leads the Caps in scoring with eight points (4G, 4A) through seven games. Backstrom caught a puck to the face in the neutral zone in the third period and did not return.
• Sprong scored his first goal of the season and his first goal as a member of the Capitals. The winger now has two points (1G, 1A) through five games.
• Daniel Carr earned the primary assist on Sprong's goal and recorded his first point of the season - in his season debut - and his first point as a member of the Caps.
• Eller left the game midway through the third period after the Komarov hit along the boards and did not return. UPDATE: Eller did not participate in Capitals morning skate on Thursday. TJ Oshie skated in Eller's place as second line center, per Tom Gulitti of NHL.com.
• Vanecek earned his third career win in his fifth start of the season. The rookie netminder now has a record of 3-0-2, a GAA of 2.70 and a SV% of .918%.
• The Capitals power play went 1-for-2 and their penalty kill went 3-for-3. In the NHL, the Caps extra man unit is ranked fourth overall with a power play conversion percentage of 35.7%.
• Washington's offense averages the eighth-most goals for per game with a nightly average of 3.43 goals.
• The Caps were without four players; Alexander Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Dmitry Orlov and Ilya Samsonov, in Tuesday night's game and will be expected to miss those four players in Thursday's game due to the NHL's COVID protocol.
• Tom Wilson missed Tuesday's game with a lower-body injury. Check back for his status for Thursday. UPDATE: Tom Wilson participated in Capitals morning skate.