NY Islanders head to DC for pivotal Metro Division matchup against Capitals

The New York Islanders head to Washington, D.C., on Monday night for a pivotal Metropolitan Division matchup against the Washington Capitals, with playoff positioning hanging in the balance as the Olympic break approaches.

The Islanders enter the contest third in the Metro with 65 points, four ahead of the Capitals, who sit fifth at 61. New York is coming off a tough 4-3 loss to the Nashville Predators on Saturday, when Roman Josi scored the go-ahead goal in the final two minutes. Mathew Barzal, rookie defenseman Matthew Schaefer and Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored for the Islanders, while Ilya Sorokin made 38 saves in a strong performance despite the loss.

Monday’s game marks the fourth and final meeting between the teams this season. The Islanders have not suffered a regulation road loss to Washington since the 2022–23 campaign and are 5-3-1 on the road against division opponents this year.

Barzal continues to anchor the Islanders’ offense. His assist Saturday was the 560th of his career, moving him past Clark Gillies for fifth on the franchise’s all-time list. Barzal leads the Islanders with 46 points and 32 assists in 55 games.

Schaefer remains one of the NHL’s most compelling rookie stories. The 18-year-old scored in back-to-back games and now has 15 goals, the second-most ever by a rookie defenseman in Islanders history. He trails only Denis Potvin’s 17 from the 1973–74 season and enters Monday riding a three-game point streak.

Washington comes in with momentum after back-to-back wins, including a 4-3 overtime comeback against Carolina on Saturday. Jakob Chychrun is on a four-game point streak and leads all NHL defensemen with 19 goals. Tom Wilson has five points in three games against the Islanders this season, while Connor McMichael remains sidelined.

With both teams jockeying for position, Monday’s matchup shapes up as a critical four-point game in the Metropolitan Division race.