Islanders vs Capitals Predictions, Game Preview, Live Stream, Odds & Picks

Washington Setting Sights on Third Place in Division

· Apr 26 - 4 minutes read

Capitals Hoping to Keep Pace in Metro Race

On Tuesday, the Washington Capitals will host the New York Islanders in a late-season Metropolitan Division battle.

The Capitals (44-23-12) sit in fourth place in the Metropolitan Division, just one point behind third-place Pittsburgh Penguins (45-24-11) with a game in hand.

Islanders vs Capitals Predictions, Game Preview, Live Stream, Odds & Picks

Washington has already clinched a playoff spot and is three points behind the Boston Bruins (49-25-5) for the top wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.

Meanwhile, the Islanders (35-34-10) sit in fifth place in the Metropolitan Division and are eliminated from playoff contention.

Let’s check the latest NHL lines, stats, injury reports, and NHL odds for Capitals vs Islanders. We’ve plenty of NHL picks and predictions.

Islanders Skidding to Finish Line

The New York Islanders enter Tuesday’s matchup with the Washington Capitals having lost five games in a row and seven of nine.

In the Islanders’ most recent contest, they fell 5-2 to the Carolina Hurricanes, bringing New York’s record to 8-29 as a money line underdog in this NHL season.

With only two players with 50 or more points, Brock Nelson (58) and Mathew Barzal (54), the islanders’ offense has underachieved most of the season, resulting in an average of 2.73 goals per game, 13th in the Eastern Conference.

The Isles’ defense has kept them above water most of the season, allowing 2.82 GA/G, sixth-best in the Eastern Conference.

Ilya Sorokin has made the majority of starts in net for the Islanders, going 25-17-8 with a .926 save percentage and 2.38 goals-against average in 50 starts. Sorokin’s backup, Semyon Varlamov, has made 28 starts, going 9-17-2 with a .920 SV% and a 2.94 GAA.

Capitals Look to Rebound

The Washington Capitals are 3-1-2 over the last six games and are coming off a 4-3 shootout loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. In the loss, Washington blew a two-goal advantage, bringing the Capitals to 27-22 when they’re favored on the money line.

“We’ll watch some video, watch some video of 5-on-6,” said Capitals forward T.J. Oshie. “Just some things that we’ve got to clean up. I think we just didn’t expect ourselves to give away a two-goal lead to a team that played [the previous] night, no matter how good they are or how offensive they are. It’s unfortunate and tough to sleep on that one. But we’ll come back to the rink tomorrow and get back to work.”

The Capitals will look to lean on their electric offense to get back on track against the Islanders on Tuesday. Washington has three players with 70 points or more, including Alex Ovechkin (90), Evgeny Kuznetsov (77), and John Carlson (70).

Ovechkin is fourth in the NHL in goals (50). The Capitals average 3.37 goals, which is fourth-best in the Eastern Conference and the ninth-best in the NHL.

Vitek Vanecek and Ilya Samsonov have split the starts in goal. Vanecek has made 38 starts to 37 for Samsonov.

Vanecek is 38-20-11 with a .910 SV% and 2.60 GAA while Samsonov is 37-23-10 with a .897 SV% and a 2.99 GAA.

Islanders vs Capitals Head-to-Head

The Capitals are 2-0-0 in the season series.

Islanders vs Capitals Game Information

Game: Islanders (35-34-10) vs Capitals (44-23-12)
Location: Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C.
Day/Time: Tuesday, April 26, 7 p.m. ET
Islanders vs Capitals Live stream: NHL.TV

NHL Coaches on Hot Seat: How Will This Affect NHL Bets Entering 2023-24?