Game Preview: Islanders vs Capitals

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (33-32-10) VS WASHINGTON CAPITALS (49-18-9)

12:30 PM | UBS ARENA | BUY TICKETS

WATCH: TNT | truTV | MAX

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

The New York Islanders welcome in the Washington Capitals on Sunday afternoon to conclude a three-game homestand.

The Islanders snapped a six-game winless skid when they defeated the Minnesota Wild 3-1 at UBS Arena on Friday night. Casey Cizikas, Simon Holmstrom and Noah Dobson (PPG, 1A) scored for the Islanders and Ilya Sorokin made 27 saves in the win.

The Capitals earned a 5-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday night, but the main story coming out of Washington wasn’t the game’s result. Alex Ovechkin scored twice to tie Wayne Gretzky’s record for most goals in NHL history (894). Martin Fehérváry, Dylan Strome and Ryan Leonard also scored for the Caps in the win, while Charlie Lindgren made 19 saves.

The hockey world will turn their attention to Sunday’s tilt to see if Ovechkin can score his 895^th career goal against the Islanders or be denied. The Islanders did not practice on Saturday and will not hold a morning skate on Sunday, so any lineup news – including the Isles’ starting goalie – will be announced closer to puck drop.

Postgame on Friday when asked about the possibility of Ovechkin breaking the record on Sunday, Head Coach Patrick Roy’s mentality remained solely focused on the team.

“We’re going to focus on us,” Roy said. “I know it’s going to be hard, but that’s what we have to do. It’s an important game for our team. We’re going to continue to do exact what we’ve been doing, focusing on the next game, staying in the present moment and focusing on us.”

SEASON SERIES

The Islanders haven’t faced the Capitals since Nov. 29 where they fell 5-4 in overtime to open the season series. The Isles will face the Caps twice in a short span, as the two teams will meet again for the third and final time on Apr. 15 at UBS Arena.

ISLES NOTES

- The Islanders (76 points) are seven points back of the Montreal Canadiens (83 points) for the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. The New York Rangers (79 points), Columbus Blue Jackets (77 points), Detroit Red Wings (77 points) stand between them as seven regular season games remain for the Isles.

- The Islanders’ power play converted three times in their last four games. Dobson’s power play goal against the Wild served as a rebound performance after the Isles went 0-for-4 on Tuesday against the Lightning.

- Tony DeAngelo will play in his 400th NHL game on Sunday. The defenseman has nine points (2G, 7A) in his last 10 games.

- Ryan Pulock recorded his 213th career point on Friday with an assist, tying Jean Potvin for seventh on the franchise all-time scoring list among defensemen.

- The Islanders are 11-4-3 in their last 18 home games. Overall, the Islanders are 18-15-5 on home ice this season.

CAPS NOTES

- Alex Ovechkin is on the brink of history. Sitting at 894 career goals - tied with Wayne Gretzky for most goals in NHL history but doing so in one fewer game – Ovechkin has the opportunity to break the record on Sunday against the Isles. With a team-leading 41 goals on the season, Ovechkin surpassed the 40-goal mark for the 14^th time in his career.

- Dylan Strome is having an impressive season for the Caps, as the center leads the team in scoring with 75 points (25G, 50A). Strome’s 75 points and 50 assists are career-highs, while his 25 goals are two shy of matching a career-best 27 goals, established last season.

- Ryan Leonard scored his first career NHL goal with an empty-netter in Friday’s 5-3 win over Chicago. The Capitals’ 2023 eighth overall pick played his first three NHL games this week after he completed his sophomore season at Boston College.

- With 49 wins on the season, the Capitals are on the verge of recording their sixth season with 50 or more wins since the franchise was established in 1974-75. The Caps haven’t reached the 50-win mark since 2016-17.

- The Capitals are a high-octane team, ranking first in the NHL in offense (3.62 GF/GP).

- Washington’s PK ranks eighth in the league (81.3%).