Game Preview: Islanders at Capitals

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (4-5-1) AT WASHINGTON CAPITALS (6-4-0)

CAPITAL ONE ARENA | 7PM

WATCH/STREAM: MSGSN | GOTHAM SPORTS APP

LISTEN: 88.7FM | 103.9FM | ISLANDERS + UBS ARENA APP

The New York Islanders are in the nation’s capital to take on the Washington Capitals in the second half of a back-to-back set on Friday night.

The Islanders are seeking redemption after they fell 6-2 to the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday at Lenovo Center. Matthew Schaefer (PPG) and Simon Holmstrom scored, but the Islanders dug themselves into a hole early and couldn’t climb their way out. Bradly Nadeau, Mike Reilly and Jordan Martinook scoring to build a 3-0 lead midway through the first period, while Carolina also produced offense from Jackson Blake, Andrei Svechnikov and Logan Stankoven.

David Rittich stopped 27 of 33 shots faced in his third start and first loss for the Islanders, while. Brandon Bussi made 26 saves in the win for Carolina.

The Capitals have lost two straight games, most recently falling 1-0 to the Dallas Stars on Tuesday, where Tyler Seguin scored and Jake Oettinger pitched a 24-save shutout.

RITCHIE TO MAKE ISLES DEBUT

Calum Ritchie was recalled from the Bridgeport Islanders on Friday and will make his Islanders debut against the Capitals.

He played three games for Bridgeport this season, recording a point an each appearance with one goal and two assists. He played seven NHL games for Colorado last season, so the 20-year-old is excited to play again at the NHL level.

“I’m so excited," Ritchie said. "I've been trying to work on all the things I need to get back to this level. At the NHL level, it’s a dream. I’m really excited to play for the Islanders tonight and put on that jersey for the first time in a regular season game.”

BARZAL TO DRAW BACK IN

Mathew Barzal will draw back into the lineup after missing Thursday’s game against Carolina because he was late for the team bus.

"Mathieu [Darche] said at the start of camp made it clear that punctuality was a big thing," Barzal said. "He wants to set a culture here, as do all the players here. So unfortunately I was the first guy to have an alarm clock issue."

Barzal has eight points (2G, 6A) through nine games this season.

"Not playing yesterday was super tough," Barzal said "It is what it is. We move on and have a good one tonight.”

SOROKIN TO START

With Rittich playing on Thursday against the Hurricanes, Ilya Sorokin is expected to get the start against Washington on Friday. Sorokin is 4-5-1 lifetime against the Caps with a .920 SV% and a 2.41 GAA.

SEASON SERIES

The Islanders trail the Capitals in the season series 0-1-0 after they fell 4-2 in the home opener on Oct. 11.

ROMANOV RETURNS

Alexander Romanov made his return to the lineup after missing five games with an injury, skating 19:40 TOI in his return and laying two hits. He skated on a pair with Tony DeAngelo.

ACROSS THE ICE

The Capitals are off to a solid start to the season, as their 6-4-0 record ranks fifth in the Metropolitan Division.

INJURY UPDATES

Dylan Strome (day to day, lower-body) skated in a non-contact jersey in Thursday’s practice in a positive step toward a return since sustaining an injury on Saturday against Ottawa.

Rasmus Sandin (lower-body) also participated in skate with a non-contact jersey. Capitals Head Coach Spencer Carbery did not rule out Sandin or Strome against the Islanders.

Ethen Frank (upper-body) will not play against the Islanders, as the winger suffered an injury late in Tuesday’s game against the Stars and was placed on the team’s injured reserve list.

ATOP THE OPPOSITION’S LEADERBOARD

Tom Wilson leads the Capitals in scoring with 11 points (5G, 6A) while Dylan Strome leads with eight assists on the year.

OVECHKIN REACHES 1,500 GAMES PLAYED

Alex Ovechkin hit a major milestone recently, skating in his 1,500th game on Saturday, becoming the 24th player in NHL history to achieve the feat. The NHL leading goal scorer is also sitting at 899 career goals, on the brink of becoming the first player in NHL history to score 900 career goals.