Game Preview: Islanders vs Capitals 

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (13-9-3) VS WASHINGTON CAPITALS (14-9-2)

1 PM | UBS ARENA | BUY TICKETS

WATCH/STREAM: MSGSN | GOTHAM SPORTS APP

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

The New York Islanders host the Washington Capitals on Sunday afternoon at UBS Arena, in the fifth of a seven-game homestand.

The Islanders battled back to earn a point on Friday, climbing out of an early 3-0 deficit in an eventual 4-3 shootout loss to the Philadelphia Flyers at UBS Arena. Emil Heineman, Matthew Schaefer (1G, 1A) and Anders Lee (PPG) scored in regulation but the Flyers ultimately edged the Isles in the shootout.

“It was a strong comeback, we believed in ourselves. It’s a big point but obviously you want the extra point,” Emil Heineman said.

KIDS DAY OUT

The Islanders will host their second Kids Day Out of the season, with the theme being gaming day. Children can enjoy a fun-filled afternoon game with special gaming activities.

PALMIERI UPDATE

Kyle Palmieri will get surgery to repair an ACL tear in his left knee and will be out 6-8 months, the team announced on Saturday.

Palmieri has 18 points (6G, 12A) through 25 games this season. Palmieri's injury ends a streak of 223 consecutive games played for the winger, who was the reigning Islanders ironman.

Palmieri is the second player the Islanders lost long-term to injury this year, joining Alex Romanov, who is out 5-6 months.

“It’s definitely tough when you lose guys,” Casey Cizikias said. “They’re such a big part of this group, what they bring to the table every single night. But it’s the next man up mentality and we have a job to do. We’ll work as a group to get it done.”

BARZAL, SHABANOV TAKE MAINTENANCE

Mathew Barzal and Max Shabanov took maintenance days on Saturday and did not participate in practice.

Barzal has 18 points (7G, 11A) through 24 games this season, while Shabanov has seven points (3G, 4A) through 13 games this season. Head Coach Patrick Roy said they are both expected to play on Sunday.

SHABANOV SKATES WITH HORVAT AND HEINEMAN

Max Shabanov was elevated to a line with Bo Horvat and Emil Heineman after Palmieri left the game on Friday – he finished the night with a career-high 22:19 TOI.

Shabanov has been ramping up offensively since he returned from an upper-body injury that sidelined him for 12 games, recording four points (2G, 2A) in his last seven games since returning.

“I find that he’s getting more confident with the puck every game,” Horvat said. “He’s making plays, creating, holding onto the puck on the rush. The more he plays, the more opportunity he gets, he’ll run with it.”

POWER PLAY SNAPS DROUGHT

The Islanders snapped a lengthy drought on the power play, which was 0-for-29 before Anders Lee recorded a goal on the man advantage for the Isles’ third goal of the game on Friday.

The Islanders’ power play (13.1%) ranks 32^nd in the league.

SEASON SERIES

The Isles and Caps are knotted at one game apiece in the season series. Matthew Schaefer scored his first NHL goal in the first meeting, a 4-2 loss in the Isles’ home opener on Oct. 11. Cal Ritchie made his Islanders debut in the second meeting between the two teams, a 3-1 road win on Oct. 31.

CAPITALS NOTES

The Capitals completed a comeback win, scoring four unanswered goals in an eventual 4-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday, in closing out a four-game homestand.

The Capitals have won six of their last seven games, which boosted themselves to third in the Metropolitan Division with 30 points.

Tom Wilson leads the team in scoring with 26 points (3G, 13A) through 25 games this season. Also hot is Alex Oveckin, who has seven points (4G, 3A) in his last five games, including a four-point effort in an 8-4 win over Montreal on Nov. 20.

Washington is a powerful team offensively as they average 3.36 goals per game, good for sixth in the NHL. Their penalty kill has struggled this season (72.0%), ranking 28^th in the league.

The Capitals are 5-4-1 on the road this season.