Isles Day-to-Day: Line Changes vs Capitals, Drouin In and Rittich to Start

The New York Islanders took the ice at Capital One Arena on Monday morning ahead of their game against the Washington Capitals. See below for lines, quotes and news.

PROJECTED LINEUP

Ondrej Palat - Bo Horvat - Mathew Barzal
Emil Heineman - Jonathan Drouin - Simon Holmstrom
Anders Lee - JG Pageau - Anthony Duclair
Kyle MacLean - Casey Cizikas - Marc Gatcomb

Matthew Schaefer - Ryan Pulock

Adam Pelech - Tony DeAngelo

Carson Soucy - Scott Mayfield

David Rittich

DROUIN BACK IN ACTION, TO PLAY CENTER

Jonathan Drouin participated in Monday’s skate and is expected to return to the lineup after a one-game absence as he missed Saturday’s contest with an illness.

Drouin will center a line with Heineman and Holmstrom in his return. The forward has played center at times in his career and frequently took faceoffs situationally this season. He is 50.9% at the dot this season through 171 draws. Drouin has 20 points (3G, 17A) this season.

"Drouin has been playing really well," Roy said. "He's been really good on faceoffs, he's been over 50%. He has played well as a centerman in the past."

HOLMSTROM ALONGSIDE SWEDISH BUDDY

Simon Holmstrom will play on a line with Emil Heineman for the first time as they'll be on either side of Drouin. Roy said that he's "curious" about seeing the Swedish pair together, as they've become close friends off the ice this season.

"It's going to be good, I think he's very hard on the forecheck and he's got a hell of a shot like everyone knows," Holmstrom said. "It's up to me and Drouin to find him."

The Swedish winger has been called a “game changer” by his teammates and Roy, as Holmstrom has been strong in plays away from the puck, plus he had a three-point outing (1G, 2A) on Wednesday against the Rangers.

"He's a really skilled player," Heineman said of Holmstrom. "He's underrated and he has a 200-foot game. He can create plays out of nowhere. He's really good at defending as well, winning pucks back which is important when you want to create offense, I'm looking forward to it."

Holmstrom has 28 points (13G, 15A) through 53 games this season.

BARZAL AND HORVAT REUNITED

Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat are back on a line together with Palat on the left wing.

Horvat is looking to ramp up offensively since returning to lineup. He’s played five games since returning from a five-game absence after sustaining a lower-body injury on Jan. 1 and has two assists in that span.

"Very simple, we feel like Palat is a really good fit for these two guys," Roy said. "He's a guy that goes to the net, works really hard. Bo is really good on faceoffs, he's been playing really well offensively and defensively. It'll allow Barzal to focus on his offense and less responsibility on faceoffs in the d-zone, we think that'll help his game."

RITTICH TO START

David Rittich will start between the pipes for the Islanders on Monday. Rittich is 12-7-3 this season with a .901 SV%, a 2.54 GAA along with two shutouts. His career numbers against the Caps include a 0-2-0 record, a .891 SV% and a 2.57 GAA.