Washington Capitals vs. New York Islanders: A Battle for First Place
A little over two weeks after the Washington Capitals faced off against the New York Islanders; they will be back at Nassau Coliseum tonight. Last time it was a 1-0 defensive battle with former Capitals draft pick, Semyon Varlamov, getting the 29 save shutout. This time the two teams will fight for the lead in the MassMutual East Division.
Both the Caps and the Isles have played 46 games and have 62 points on the year and are tied for first in the division. Up to this point, Washington is leading the series 3-2, but the Islanders have won the past two games. The Islanders have beat the Caps in two very different ways. Once, they dominated on offense with an 8 to 4 win on April 1st. Then they showed off their defensive skill shutting out the Caps 1-0.
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Washington is 3 -2 in the last five games as they have hit a slight plateau coming towards the end of the season. The good news is that Anthony Mantha, whose trade was widely criticized, has scored five goals in the last five games. John Carlson leads the team in that stretch with 7 points, all of them being assists.
The Capitals will look to beat the Islanders using their special teams as they usually do. They come into this match-up with the top power play in the NHL, and the 7th ranked penalty kill. The Isles have the 10th ranked kill but are on the lower end for power play, ranked 25th.
Vitek Vanecek and Varlamov went save for save last game and it makes sense since their numbers are quite similar. Both have a season record of 17-9-3 but Varlamov barely beats Vanechek in goals-against average, save percentage, and shutouts. Depending on who the Capitals start, it is still a toss-up if we see a locked-down defensive game or a thrilling back and forth offensive battle.
Must Read. Washington Capitals: A look at April so far and what awaits. light
Can the Caps beat the Islanders to keep the lead in the East Division? Here’s how to find out:
Date: April 22, 2021
Time: 7 p.m.
Where: Nassau Coliseum
TV Broadcast: NBC Sports Washington, MSG+
Radio: Caps Radio 24/7
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