Washington Capitals vs New York Islanders - Odds and Predictions

How to Watch

Where: Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, New York

When: Saturday, January 18th at 1:00 PM EST

How (TV/Radio): ESPN+, New York Islanders TV/Radio: SUN, KFH 97.5. Washington TV/Radio: NBC Sports Washington, WJFK 106.7 FM.

Team Notes

Washington Capitals

The Capitals are holding onto a slim lead atop the Eastern Conference standings as they lead second-place Boston by just one point heading into action on Thursday.

Washington has posted a league-high 17 wins on the road this season.

The Capitals stand at +500 to take the Eastern Conference and +1000 to win the Stanley Cup.

New York Islanders

The New York Islanders have slid in the standings in recent weeks as their 60 total points are tied for 4th place with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Islanders are 15-5-3 at home this season but are boasting a goal differential of just plus-13 on the year, ranking them eighth overall in the East.

The New York Islanders are holding at +1500 to win the Eastern Conference and +2500 to win Lord Stanley’s Cup in June.

Goalie Notes

Washington Capitals: Braden Holtby (18-9-4, 3.02 goals allowed)

Washington’s starting goalie, Holtby, has lost five of his last six starts and could be in jeopardy of losing his job to backup Ilya Samsonov.

Holtby has allowed three or more goals in each of his last six appearances.
Even though Holtby is the declared starter, backup Samsonov has started back-to-back games including Thursday night’s contest against New Jersey.
Samsonov’s GAA is close one goal lower (2.11) than Holtby’s this season.

New York Islanders: Semyon Varlamov (15-6-4, 2.48 GAA)

Varlamov has lost his last two starts, including a punishing 6-2 defeat to the Rangers on Monday night.

Varlamov has allowed just four goals over three games before losing two straight and surrendering nine goals.
The Islanders’ backup goalie, Thomas Greiss got the start on Tuesday night and saved 34 of 36 shots in the 8-2 win over the Red Wings.
Greiss has won two straight starts, allowing five total goals over the winning streak.

Stats to Watch

Washington Capitals

Washington’s power play has been mediocre in January, scoring just four goals on 22 chances for an 18.2% success rate, good for 20th overall in the NHL.

The Capitals are scoring 3.33 goals per game in January, tied for 9th best with Colorado.
Washington is allowing just 2.67 goals per game this month, tied for 7th best in the NHL.
Richard Panik bounced back from an undisclosed injury to play on Monday night against Carolina.

New York Islanders

The New York Islanders are struggling to score goals in January, although their eight-goal performance Tuesday night bumped up their per game average to 2.57 goals for the month.

The Islanders’ power play is non-existent as they have netted just one man-advantage goal over their first seven games of the month. They are the only team with single-digit power-play chances (9) for January.
Even though New York has found scoring difficult, they are still playing solid defense, allowing just 2.71 goals per contest, good for 9th overall for the month of January.
Casey Cizikas remains day-to-day after missing Tuesday’s game against Detroit with a groin injury.

Last Five Games

Washington Capitals

Washington has won four of their last six games, but have lost three of their last four on the road.
Over their last four victories, the Capitals have scored 17 goals, while allowing just eight over that span.
The Capitals have not scored more than two goals in any of their last three games.

New York Islanders

The Islanders have two of their last three games at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, including an 8-2 win over Detroit Tuesday night.
This month, New York has posted a 3-3-1 record, for seven points in their first seven games of 2020.
New York has scored three goals or more in a game in just three of their last ten contests.