UBS Keys to the Game: Islanders vs Capitals

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (36-34-10) VS WASHINGTON CAPITALS (44-24-12)7:00 PM ET | UBS ARENA | BUY TICKETS WATCH: MSG+ | MSG GO | ESPN+LISTEN: 88.7FM | 103.9FM | 1050AM
The New York Islanders return to Long Island to host the Washington Capitals on Thursday at UBS Arena, in the back half of a home-and-home set.
The Islanders buried four unanswered goals against the Capitals in a 4-1 win on Tuesday night at Capital One Arena. Ryan Pulock opened the scoring for the Isles on the power play in the first period, extending his goal streak to two games with his 20th point of the season. In a powerful third period for New York, Noah Dobson (PPG), Casey Cizikas (SHG) and Anders Lee all found the back of the net to pull out the win. Conor Sheary netted the lone goal for the Capitals in the first period, after Kyle Palmieri had a goal overturned after review. Ilya Sorokin made 32 saves in front of a shorthanded Islanders team, as they skated a man down in the win. With the victory, the Islanders snapped their five-game winless skid and simultaneously ended Washington's five-game point streak.
Both the Islanders and the Capitals will conclude their regular season on a back-to-back set. Fifteen other NHL teams will also finish the regular season on a back-to-back.

ISLANDERS NOTES:

• The Islanders played their final road game of the season on Tuesday, posting an away record of 17-19-5. With Tuesday's win over the Capitals, the Islanders secured a season over the NHL-.500 regardless of the results of the remaining two games. Per Eric Hornick, the Islanders are 7-0-3 in their last road game over the past 10 years.
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• The Islanders scored three times in the third period on Tuesday night, marking the eighth time this season the Islanders were able to tally three goals in the final frame. In those eight games, the Islanders are 7-1-0. In the month of April, they scored 17 third period goals, ranking ninth in the league in that time frame.
• Noah Dobson recorded six points in his last five games (2G, 4A) and is two points away from achieving a 50-point season.
• Ilya Sorokin only allowed one goal on Tuesday, remaining second in the NHL in save percentage (.927%), holding a record of 26-17-8. On home ice, Sorokin is 13-4-4 (.933%) in 21 starts at UBS Arena.
• Anders Lee tied Derek King for the 10th-most goals in franchise history (211) with his 27th goal of the season. Lee and King are tied for the most goals by a player wearing #27 for the Islanders.
• Casey Cizikas earned the third star of the game on Tuesday, burying a shorthanded goal after being dragged down by Dmitry Orlov, netting the fifth shorthanded goal of the season for the Islanders. Cizikas has 10 goals on the season, tying his second career-highest goal total, matching his 10-goal season last year.
• Kieffer Bellows is riding a three-game point streak (1G, 2A) and has four points in his last five games.
• In the month of April, the Islanders rank ninth in the NHL on the power play (22.2%).

Video: NYI 4 vs WSH 1: Barry Trotz

CAPITALS NOTES:

• The Capitals (100 points) hold the second wild card in the Eastern Conference, still one point behind the Pittsburgh Penguins (101 points) with one game in hand. If Washington remains in the second wild card spot, they will take on the Florida Panthers (120 points) in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. If the Capitals manage to leapfrog the Penguins, they will go head-to-head against the New York Rangers (108 points).
• The Capitals played all 41 home games of the regular season (19-16-6), finishing with their worst record on home ice since the 2006-07 season (17-17-7). On the other hand, their road record is the best in the NHL (25-8-6).
• Washington re-assigned forward Joe Snively to the Hershey Bears (AHL) on a long-term injury conditioning term, in an announcement on Wednesday. Snively (4G, 3A) played 12 games with the Capitals this season.
• Conor Sheary recorded his 19th goal of the season against the Islanders on Tuesday, extending his point streak to three games (2G, 2A). Sheary is having his second-best season of his career in goals (19), assists (24) and points (43).
• Tom Wilson has not recorded any points in his previous six games, marking his longest pointless drought since his nine-game stretch in the 2016-17 season (Mar. 11-Mar. 28).
• The Capitals skated without Alex Ovechkin on Tuesday, the team leader in goals (50) and points (90), who is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Head Coach Peter Laviolette did not disclose if he will be in the lineup on Thursday against the Islanders.
• Nick Jensen's secondary assist in the Capitals lone goal on Tuesday marked his 16th of the season, reaching a career-high in assists.
• Evgeny Kuznetsov ranks second on the team in goals (24), assists (53) and points (77), tying his second-highest career point total.
• The Capitals have not scored on the power play in their last four games, going 0-for-12 over that span. Washington ranks 22nd on the power play in the NHL (19.2%).