Game Preview: NY Islanders vs Washington Capitals 1/16/2023

Coming off their first win in four games, the NY Islanders look to win their second straight game as they take on the Washington Capitals live from UBS Arena. The Islanders will look to continue to slow down a solid Capitals team, who have lost their past two games. This is an incredibly important game for the Islanders to win, as they share the two wildcard spots with the Capitals.

Last Game

The Islanders come into this game winning their last game against the Montreal Canadiens. This was the Islanders' first win in four games. Anthony Beauvillier and Casey Cizikas were the only Islanders to pick up goals in this game, but it was enough to get the job done as the Islanders would defeat the Canadiens, 2-1.

The Capitals come into this game losing their past two games, both against the Philadelphia Flyers. Capitals T.J. Oshie has three goals in his past five games, making him someone the Islanders need to keep an eye on. Dylan Strome has also picked up three assists in his past five games, helping to find open teammates to put the puck in the net.

Historical Matchup

This will be the first time this season that the Islanders play the Capitals. Last season, the Islanders and Capitals faced off four times, with the Capitals taking three of the four games. The first came on January 15, when Varlamov and the Islanders got shut out by the Capitals at the UBS Arena. On March 15 when the teams faced off again, Varlamov and the Islanders lost to the Capitals in Washington in a shootout.

The Islanders and Capitals then played each other in back-to-back games on April 26, and April 28 of last year. With Sorokin in net, the Islanders would win the first game, 4-1. However, the next time they met would not fair the same as the Capitals would strike back and defeat the Islanders, 5-1, with Varlamov in the net.

Player to Watch

The Washington Capitals have a solid team all around, so picking one player to watch isn't an easy feat. However, when you talk about the Capitals, you have to watch out for Alexander Ovechkin the most. Ovechkin currently leads the team in goals, with 30, and leads the team in points with 49. While he's only had two goals in his past five games, he should not be taken lightly by any means.

Projected Lines

Islanders

Zach Parise - Mat Barzal - Josh Bailey Anders Lee - Brock Nelson - Simon Holmstrom Anthony Beauvillier - JG Pageau - Hudson Fasching Matt Martin - Casey Cizikas - Cal Clutterbuck

Parker Wotherspoon - Ryan Pulock Alexander Romanov - Scott Mayfield Sebastian Aho - Noah Dobson

Ilya Sorokin Semyon Varlamov

Capitals

Alex Ovechkin - Dylan Strome - Conor Sheary Anthony Mantha - Evgeny Kuznetsov - T.J. Oshie Sonny Milano - Nicklas Backstrom - Tom Wilson Marcus Johansson - Nic Dowd - Garnet Hathaway

Erik Gustafsson-Trevor Van Riemsdyk
Dmitry Orlov-Nick Jensen
Matt Irwin-Martin Fehervary

Darcy Kuemper Charlie Lindgren