UBS Keys to the Game: Islanders at Capitals

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (35-34-10) VS WASHINGTON CAPITALS (44-23-12)7 PM | CAPITAL ONE ARENAWATCH: MSG+2 | MSG GO | ESPN+LISTEN: 88.7FM | 103.9FM | 1050AM
The New York Islanders are looking to win their final road game of the season, as they face the Washington Capitals on Tuesday night at Capital One Arena.
The Islanders fell 5-2 against the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday. Ryan Pulock and Ross Johnston put up goals to tie the game at two late in the second period, but it wasn't enough to combat the offense of the division-leading Hurricanes. Derek Stepan, Seth Jarvis and Max Domi put up goals for Carolina, while Jesper Fast and Brendan Smith buried empty netters for insurance. Sunday's 5-2 final lengthened the Islanders winless streak to five games (0-4-1), while extending the Hurricanes win streak to four.

The Capitals are coming off a dramatic 4-3 shootout loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. The score was knotted at one through two periods, until Lars Eller and Marcus Johansson scored within 1:08 to take the 3-1 lead in the third. The Maple Leafs answered back with two late goals in the third frame to force overtime, needing seven rounds to beat the Capitals in the shootout.
Two of the final three Islanders matchups of the season are against Washington, as the Islanders find themselves down 0-1-1 in the season series. The Islanders were shut out 2-0 on Jan. 15, while salvaging a point in a 4-3 SO loss on Mar. 15. In the most rece t. eeting Anders Lee forced OT with 1:59 left in the third frame, while Brock Nelson had a two-point performance (1G, 1A). Kyle Palmieri scored a goal in regulation and beat Vitek Vanecek in the third round of the shootout to keep the Islanders alive, but the Islanders fell in eight rounds.
The Islanders did not fare well in their season series against the Capitals in their eight meetings last year (2-5-1), but they split the season series in 2019-20 and 2018-19.

ISLANDERS NOTES:

• The Islanders play their last road game on Tuesday with their matchup against the Capitals. The Islanders won five of their last nine games on the road (5-4-0) and hold an away record of 16-19-5 overall this season.
• The upcoming home-and-home series is the fourth and final set for the Islanders this season. They defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first game of a home-and-home set (Apr. 12) and they swept the home-and-home series against the Columbus Blue Jackets (Mar. 29 and 31) as well as the Philadelphia Flyers (Jan. 17 and 19).
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• The Islanders outrank Capitals with their penalty kill percentage of 83.8% (6th in the NHL) compared to the Capitals 81.9% (9th in the NHL). The Islanders also rank higher on the power play (20.0%) in contrast to the Capitals (19.5%).
• Noah Dobson collected four points in his last three games (1G, 3A) and tallied two points against the Capitals this season.
• Josh Bailey has three points in his last three games. In his 58-game career against the Capitals, he put up 25 points (6G, 19A).
• Zdeno Chara was nominated by the Islanders chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association for the 2022 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy on Monday, which embodies perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to the sport of ice hockey.
• Casey Cizikas recorded his 200th point on Sunday against the Hurricanes with an assist in Ross Johnston's goal to get the Islanders on the board. Matt Martin had the primary assist, and commented on Cizikas' career offensive contributions. "He's a good two-way centerman… [Cizikas] plays in a lot of big situations for this team," Martin said. "He's been a key part of this franchise for a long time… he's going to continue doing his thing."
• With 199 career goals, Kyle Palmieri is on the verge of reaching his 200th career goal. Palmieri picked up 14 points (7G, 7A) in 32 games played against the Capitals, including one goal this season (Mar. 15).

CAPITALS NOTES:

• The Capitals reached the 100-point threshold with one point in Sunday's shootout loss, notching them in fourth place in the Metropolitan Division standings. With the earned point, the Capitals became the only NHL team to reach 100 points for a sixth time in eight seasons.
• Washington holds the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference, just one point shy of matching the Pittsburgh Penguins (101 points) with one game in hand. If the Capitals are able to catch up to the Penguins, they could face the New York Rangers (108 points) in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but if the Capitals remain in the second wild card spot, they will likely see the Florida Panthers (120 points).
• John Carlson recorded his 70th point of the season on Sunday, reaching 70 or more points for the third time in his career. Carlson ranks fifth in the NHL among defensemen in points and is fourth in goals (16). He's also eight points away from reaching the 600-point mark in his career.
• Alex Ovechkin is listed as day-to-day after sustaining an upper-body injury in Sunday's game against the Maple Leafs. It is unclear if he will be in the Capitals lineup in Tuesday's game against the Islanders. Ovechkin leads the team in goals (50) and netted two against the Islanders this season.
• Three games remain for Washington, as they will take on New York teams in each matchup. After the home-and-home series against the Islanders, the Capitals will travel to MSG to take on the Rangers in the final game of the regular season for both teams.