Game Preview: Islanders vs. Capitals

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (24-10-4) VS. WASHINGTON CAPITALS (25-9-4)
7PM | NASSAU COLISEUM
WATCH: MSG+2 | MSG GO | NHL.TV
LISTEN: 88.7FM | 103.9FM | 1050AM
The New York Islanders and Washington Capitals meet for the second of five meetings in April and the second contest between the two East Division clubs in the span of six days as they clash on Tuesday night at Nassau Coliseum. The game will be the Islanders' third of their six-game homestand and their final time this season wearing their Reverse Retro threads.

The Islanders earned their first win vs Washington (1-3-0) last Thursday with their assertive 8-4 victory, which featured a five-point night (3G, 2A) for Mathew Barzal. Following the final whistle, neither team exited the ice and instead shared a few verbal exchanges, further relaying the heated competition among the contending East Division clubs.
"These games are fun," Head Coach Barry Trotz said of facing Washington. "They've got a lot of pedigree on that side and it helps with our pedigree as well. A lot of guys have won a [Stanley Cup] over there and we want to be in that position as well. They're a good hockey team. They always say it's good to play meaningful games pretty late in the year. Every game has been pretty meaningful this year, but there's been meaning. We've been trying to catch them. They've been on a bit of a heater like we have. [Pittsburgh], a number of these teams have gone really well in the last 30 some games and we're battling it out."
With a 3-2 shootout win over Philadelphia on Saturday night, the Islanders have now strung together two-straight wins. Anthony Beauvillier scored both of the Islanders goals in regulation, including one on the power play, while Barzal netted the sole goal after four rounds of the shootout. Ilya Sorokin returned between the pipes and made 30 saves.
The Capitals enter Tuesday's tilt having strung together back-to-back wins over New Jersey since they last faced the Islanders on April 1. Washington outlasted New Jersey to pick up a 5-4 victory on Sunday night. The Caps scoring was powered by T.J. Oshie, Conor Sheary, Evgeny Kuznetsov, a shorthanded goal from Carl Hagelin and a power-play strike from Alexander Ovechkin. Ten different Washington skaters contributed to the final scoresheet. Ilya Samsonov backstopped the team with a 35-save performance.

ISLANDERS NOTES:

• With an assist on Beauvillier's second goal, Barzal extended his point streak to four games and has compiled nine points (4G, 5A) during that stretch. With the productive week, the 23-year-old center was named the NHL's First Star of the Week on Monday. The first star designation was the first of his career after being named the second star of the week twice previously. Barzal leads the team in scoring with his 34 points through 38 games. He's tied with Brock Nelson and Jordan Eberle for the team lead in goals with 13.
• Beauvillier notched his seventh and eighth goals of the season through 29 games. After having scored just two goals through his first 22 games of the season (2-4-6), the 23-year-old winger has the hot hand as he's registered six goals over his last seven games (6-2-8).
ISLANDERS VS CAPITALS
ISLANDERS ARTICLES
5 Takeaways: Islanders 2, Flyers 2 SO
Islanders Prospect Report: April 5, 2021
Barzal Named First Star of the Week
Nelson Appointed Alternate
ISLANDERS VIDEO
Pregame Video: Trotz
Pregame Video: Jordan Eberle
GAME EXTRAS
NYI Reverse Retro
Arena Safety FAQ
Fan Cutout Gallery
Hockey With a Heart
• Beauvillier's first-period power-play tally marked the first time in six games the Islanders scored the first goal of the game. The group is 15-1-2 when scoring first and are 9-9-2 when allowing the opening goal.
• Martin's assist on Beauvillier's power-play goal marked his second power-play point in the last three games. With Anders Lee sidelined for the rest of the season, Martin has been assuming the front of the net position on one of the power play units.
• Sorokin made his 13th start of the season and earned his ninth win of his rookie career to improve his record to 9-3-1. The 25-year-old Russian has a 2.21 GAA and a .914 SV%.
• Ross Johnston left the game in the first period and did not return. Johnston fought Philadelphia's Sam Morin early in the game and took one more shift before heading to the Islanders' dressing room. Johnston joined the team for practice on Monday.
• Johnston has skated in the last three-straight games in place of Michael Dal Colle, who has been sidelined with a lower-body injury since March 27. Trotz confirmed following Monday's practice that Dal Colle has been skating on his own, but will not be ready to return to the lineup against Washington on Tuesday.
• Nick Leddy skated in his 500th career game as an Islander on Saturday night, becoming just the seventh active Islander to play 500 games with the club. He's also the seventh defenseman in franchise history to reach the milestone. The 30-year-old has totaled 237 points (44G, 193A) in 500 games for the Islanders and has 25 points (1G, 24A) this season.
• With a win over the Caps on Tuesday, Islanders President and General Manager Lou Lamoriello would tie Glen Slather as the second-winningest GM in NHL history (1,319).

CAPITALS NOTES:

*Update: Head Coach Peter Laviolette confirmed that Jakub Vrana will return to the lineup for Washington after being a healthy scratch for two-straight games. Laviolette also disclosed that Vitek Vanecek will start in goal for the Caps.
• Ovechkin recorded a three-point outing on Sunday, including his 19th goal of the season, which is tied with three other players for the fourth-most goals in the league. The Caps captain now has 34 points (19G, 15A) in as many games.
• Oshie scored his 11th goal of the season and now has goals in four of his last five games. The winger has totaled 27 points (11G, 16A) through 37 games this season.
• Hagelin's shorthanded goal marked his fourth goal of the season and was the Capitals' second goal scored on the PK. Washington's penalty kill ranks eighth overall in the NHL at 82.6%.
• With an assist on Ovechkin's power-play goal, Nicklas Backstrom recorded his team-high 39th point (13G, 26A) of the season. The veteran Swedish center now has points (1G, 4A) in five of his last six games and has only gone without a point 10 games this season.
• Kuznetsov posted a two-point outing with a goal and assist. Kuznetsov has 20 points (7G, 13A) in 28 games this season.
• On the Caps backend, both Brenden Dillon and Dmitry Orlov dished out two assists.
•Washington's power play is ranked seventh overall in the NHL at 24.5%.
• Defenseman John Carlson didn't record a point in Washington's win over New Jersey and thus snapped his three-game point streak where he'd posted four points (3G, 1A). Carlson's 32 points (10G, 22A) this season are ranked the third most by defensemen across the NHL.
• Jakub Vrana was a healthy scratch for the second-straight game, the winger had not been a healthy scratch since April 5, 2018, prior to Capitals Head Coach Peter Laviolette's decision to sit him for both games against New Jersey. Vrana has gone 11 straight games without a goal, since his two-goal game on March 9 over New Jersey. Through 35 games, the Czech winger totaled 23 points (10G, 13A).
• The Caps average the second-most goals for per game at 3.42. They've also scored the second-most goals across the league this season (130) behind only Colorado (132).