The New York Islanders will be looking for their second straight victory over the Washington Capitals on Tuesday. New York crushed Washington on April 1, 8-4. That snapped a three-game winning streak for Washington against New York.
Here you can find the best picks, news, and stats for this Central Division battle at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. New York is the favorite at -117. This according to PointsBet Sportsbook, which puts the odds for Washington at +103 as the underdog.
There are no new recent injuries for Washington. New York lost a pair of left wings. Michael Dal Calle is listed as out until mid-April. Ross Johnston is questionable for Tuesday’s game.
Capitals Hang on to Edge Devils
Washington held a 5-2 lead before New Jersey rallied for two late goals, but the Capitals hung on for a 5-4 victory. Alex Ovechkin scored a goal and added two assists to lead the Capitals. Brendan Dylan and Dmitry Orlov each had two assists for Washington. Ilya Samsonov stopped 35 of 39 shots.
Washington is second in scoring, averaging 3.42 goals per game. They are first in shooting percentage at 12.3% and are seventh on the power-play at 24.5%. Nicklas Backstrom is the team leader in points with 39. Ovechkin leads the team in goals with 19 and is second in points with 34.
The Capitals are 20th in goals allowed at 3.03 per contest and are eighth in penalty killing at 82.6%. Vitek Vanecek is 15-6-3. He leads all rookie goaltenders in victories. Vanecek has a 2.71 GAA and a .907 save percentage.
Islanders Defeats Philadelphia in a Shootout
Philadelphia battled back from a two-goal deficit in the final period to force an extra session, but New York won it in a shootout, defeating the Flyers, 3-2. Ilya Sorokin stopped 30 of 32 shots for the victory. Anthony Beauvillier scored both goals for the Islanders.
New York is third in goals allowed per game at 2.34. They are 13th in the penalty killing at 80.2%. Semyon Varlamov has been outstanding between the pipes, going 15-7-3 with a 2.26 GAA and a .919 save percentage. Varlamov allowed four goals in his last start but has allowed 10 total over his last four outings.
The Islanders are 13th in goals per game at 3.00 and are eighth in shooting percentage at 10.3%. They are 20th on the power-play at 19.2%. New York continues to be led in scoring by Matthew Barzal who leads the team in goals with 13 and points with 34. Nick Leddy leads the team in assists with 24 and is tied for second in points with 25.
Trends:
Washington:
- None
New York:
- 11-2 in their last 13 games following a victory.
- 19-7 in their last 26 games.
It would be easy to go either way in this contest. Both teams are playing quite well and are separated by just two points in the standings. A victory by the Islanders would move them into a tie with Washington, as both are looking to secure the top spot in the East Division. The home team has won the last four meetings between these teams, and I say it will become five in a row.
Pick: Take New York at -117.
The Total:
While Washington is a great offensive team, both of these teams play very well in their own end of the rink. They have solid goaltending, and this should be a matchup of two of the better netminders in the NHL right now. These teams have gone under in 12 of the last 16 meetings and I look for the under here as well.
Pick: Go under 5.5 at -116.