Tonight the Washington Capitals host the New York Islanders for the final home game of the regular season. The third meeting between the clubs this season kicks off a home and home that will be completed on Long Island Thursday. The Caps have won each of the first two matchups and have outscored the Islanders 5-3 this season.
Dating back to Jan. 26, 2021 the Capitals have won five straight home games against the Islanders. They have also shutout New York in three of the last five times they met. The Caps are coming off a shootout loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Caps sit in the second Wild Card spot with a 44-23-12 record with 100 points, just one point behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for third place in the Metropolitan Division. The Penguins take on the Edmonton Oilers tonight.
Alex Ovechkin, who left that Caps vs. Maple Leafs game with an upper body injury, is still day to day. He didn’t take part in the morning skate at MedStar Capitals Iceplex and although Head Coach Peter Laviolette said he would be a game time decision, it looks less likely we’ll see the great eight in the game.
But that doesn’t mean we won’t see the great eight at all. The Caps will honor Ovechkin for passing Jaromir Jagr for third all time in NHL history in goals scored and all fans will receive a free third all time milestone banner.
Connor McMichael skated on the top line in Ovechkin’s place, freeing him at last back into the lineup. Here were the rest of the lines via Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press:
Ovechkin-Kuznetsov-Wilson
Johansson-Backstrom-Sheary
Mantha-Eller-Oshie
Larsson-Dowd-Hathaway
Fehervary-Carlson
Orlov-Jensen
TvR-Schultz
Ilya Samsonov was the first goalie off the ice so he will get the start against the Islanders tonight. As far as Ovechkin and the game time decision goes, the team won’t take any risks. Laviolette was asked if Ovechkin would be ready for Game 1, he said, “I hope so. … I don’t know.”
good guy osh https://t.co/cmjHvUTzIh pic.twitter.com/1CCRKH0qjt
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) April 26, 2022
Date: 4/26/22
Time: 7 p.m.
Where: Capital One Arena
What Channel Is The Capitals Game On: NBCSW
Radio: Team 980 and Caps Radio 24/7
Betting Odds: The Islanders vs. Capitals betting odds on WynnBET have the Capitals as -1.5 point favorites at home. The moneyline is set with the Caps at -180 and the Islanders at +160. The over/under for tonight’s game is 6.0.
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