Washington Capitals: Top 3 players to watch against Islanders

There are several Washington Capitals players to keep an eye on Friday night on the Island.

The talk of the town is the debut of Ilya Samsonov, taken by the Washington Capitals in the 2015 NHL Draft. The future is finally here.

The Capitals and New York Islanders have formed a rivalry as old as time. They’ve met in intense playoff battles and have had some famous faces on both sides. Barry Trotz has seen the back of both benches and he looks to lead his Islanders back to the playoffs and beyond.

It’ll be a tall task as the Islanders stayed intact while the Capitals got better in depth. Here are the top three Capitals players to watch tonight.

NEW YORK, NY – DECEMBER 11: Josh Ho-Sang #66 of the New York Islanders is checked by Lars Eller #20 of the Washington Capitals at the Barclays Center on December 11, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. The Islanders defeated the Capitals 3-1. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

#3 Lars Eller

Lars Eller is a versatile center who is once again tasked with the role of playing on the second line next to Jakub Vrana and T.J. Oshie. In Wednesday night’s win, Eller recorded two assists for his 20th career multi-assist game. Eller had the secondary assist on Alex Ovechkin‘s goal and was credited with one on Dmitry Orlov‘s power play tally.

In his lifetime against the Islanders, Eller has recorded 15 points (6 goals, 9 assists). Expect him to have another solid game.

UNIONDALE, NY – MARCH 01: Alex Ovechkin #8 of the Washington Capitals skates against the New York Islanders at NYCB Live’s Nassau Coliseum on March 1, 2019 in Uniondale, New York. New York Islanders defeated the New York Islanders 3-1 (Photo by Mike Stobe/NHLI via Getty Images)

#2 Alex Ovechkin

The fans had spoken prior to the game saying that Alex Ovechkin would score the first Caps goal of the season. They were right and his late first period goal on Wednesday night in St. Louis helped turn the tide. Per the game notes, that goal was Ovechkin’s 11th goal in 15 career season openers which is the most among active players in the NHL.

In his career against the Islanders, Ovechkin has scored 36 goals and 18 assists for 54 points. After the start to the season he had, Ovechkin will look to light the lamp once more as he continues to chase the great one.

SUNRISE, FL – JUNE 26: Ilya Samsonov poses for a portrait after being selected 22nd overall by the Washington Capitals during Round One of the 2015 NHL Draft at BB&T Center on June 26, 2015 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images)

#1 Ilya Samsonov

Tonight we get to see the highly anticipated debut of Ilya Samsonov. After a solid preseason that saw him beat out Pheonix Copley for the backup job, he finally gets his chance while Braden Holtby gets the nod for tomorrow night’s home opener.

Per the Caps, the 2015 first round pick (22nd overall) will be the 10th youngest Russian-born goaltender to make his NHL debut. Last season was his first season playing the North American game of hockey and finished with a 20-14-2 record, a 2.70 goals-against average and a .898 save percentage in 37 games with the Hershey Bears.

Those are our top 3 players to watch tonight. Who are your top 3?