The New York Islanders will be looking for their 10th straight victory when they take on the Washington Capitals on Tuesday. Washington won the two most recent contests between these teams, including a 6-3 victory back on January 28.
Here you can find the best picks, news, and stats for this East Division battle at the Capital One Arena. Washington is the favorite at -115. This according to PointsBet Sportsbook, which puts the odds for New York at -105 as the underdog.
New York has lost two players within the last couple of days. Defenseman Noah Dobson is out under the Covid-19 protocols. Anders Lee is out with a lower body injury. For Washington, Tom Wilson remains out but is eligible to return from his suspension on Saturday. Center Lars Eller is listed as questionable for Tuesdayโs game.
Islanders Edge Devils in Shootout
The New York Islanders defeated New Jersey in a shootout, 3-2, for their ninth straight victory. Ilya Sorokin stops 29 of 31 shots. The Islanders are 11-0-1 in their last 12 games.
New York is the top defensive club in the NHL, allowing 2.17 goals per game. They are fourth in shots allowed at 27.5 per contest. The penalty killing has been solid at 82.6%. It does not matter who New York goes with between the pipes as they are going to get solid goaltending. Semyon Varlamov (2.03, .929) is 13-4-3 in 20 starts while Sorokin (2.20, .910) is 6-2-1 in nine starts.
The offense for the Islanders was abysmal to start the season, but they are playing very well of late. New York is 16th in the league in goals per game at 2.90 and they have the 19th overall power-play at 19.8%. Matthew Barzal leads the team in scoring with 24 points.
Washington Blanks Buffalo
The Washington Capitals (18-6-4) shutout the Buffalo Sabres on Monday, 6-0. Alex Ovechkin scored his 717 career goal, tying him with legendary Boston Bruin Phil Esposito on the all-time goal scoring list. Vitek Vanacek made 23 saves in the victory. The win was the fifth in a row for Washington.
The Capitals are second in the NHL in goals per game at 3.41 and are sixth on the power-play at 26.9%. With his goal on Monday, Ovechkin is now tied for the team lead in goals with 11. Nicklas Backstrom also has 11 goals and leads Washington with 31 overall points.
Washington is allowing 3.15 goals per contest. They are killing off 81.4% of penalties, 11th overall. With Vanacek going on Monday, it will be Ilya Samsonov between the pipes on Tuesday. He is 5-0-1 in six games with a 2.77 GAA and a .902 save percentage. Samsomov has allowed seven total goals over his last two starts.
Trends:
New York:
- 6-0 in their last six games when playing on one dayโs rest.
- 16-5 in their last 21 games.
Washington:
- None
I would be more inclined to lean toward Washington if they did not play on Monday night. The last thing you want when youโre facing a very hot team is fatigue, and the Capitals are likely not going to be at their best. New York has had a couple of days off and they are red-hot.
The road team has won 12 of the last 15 meetings between these teams in the Islanders are 7-2 in the last nine meetings in Washington.
Pick: Take New York at -185.
The Total:
You have two teams that are both getting solid goaltending. However, you have two offenses that are both playing very well of late as well. This is a tough call, but the odds seem to lean toward the over. These teams have gone over in five of the last seven meetings in Washington. I will stick with that trend.
Pick: Go over 5.5 goals at -115.