NFT: Islanders vs. Capitals @ 7pm @ Cap Center

ISLANDERS (27-15-4) at CAPITALS (27-14-5)

7:30 p.m. ET; ESPN+, SN1, SNE, NBCSWA, MSG+, NHL.TV


So Islanders coming off another impressive victory against the Devils. Their D was very impressive throughout the game. Andrea Lee, Brock
Nelson played very well. Eberle is starting to heat up and Robin Lehner has been a stone wall. The islanders are now 13-3 in their last 16 games. The Islanders have not lost a back to back series game this year. Trotz is heading back to DC for the 1st time since he led the Caps to
Winning the Cup. Who would have thought that Trotz would go back to work in DC before the Congress in 2019? The Islanders are playing for 2nd place and if things go right they could be playing for 1st. The special teams are laying very well, they are hitting, playing great D, getting very solid goaltending and scoring timely goals it all leads to a 13-3 record over their last 16 games. They lead the league in lowest goals against. Tonight will be a big challenge, these are the types of games you want to be playing in and our boys seem to be enjoying themselves and most importantly they are winning. Enjoy the game, has the makings of a real good one.
The Game

Barry Trotz brings the New York Islanders to Capital One Arena to play the Washington Capitals on Friday for the first time since coaching the Capitals to the 2018 Stanley Cup.

Trotz resigned on June 18, 11 days after the Capitals won the Cup, and was hired by the Islanders three days later. He has his new team on a 13-3-0 run that has moved them within one point of the Capitals and Blue Jackets, who are even in points for first place in the Metropolitan Division. Trotz was 205-89-34 in four seasons with the Capitals.

Starting goalie Braden Holtby will return for Washington. Holtby hasn't played since he was poked in the eye by the stick of Columbus Blue Jackets forward Cam Atkinson during the second period of a 2-1 overtime loss Saturday.

New York is on a three-game winning streak, including a 4-1 victory against the New Jersey Devils at Nassau Coliseum on Thursday. Washington is 0-2-1 in its past three games, matching its longest losing streak of the season.



Players to watch

Islanders goalie Robin Lehner is 10-1-0 with a 1.42 goals-against average, .950 save percentage and one shutout in his past 11 games (10 starts).

Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin has three goals and two assists during a four-game point streak. His next goal will move him past Dave Andreychuk (640) for sole possession of 14th place on the NHL's all-time list.



They said it

"I'll cry watching 'The Notebook' on TV when it's on � an emotional type guy. I think I'll be OK, but I appreciate the organization, the players, the fans and all the support people around the game." -- Islanders coach Barry Trotz on his return to Washington

"He showed how much he cared about each individual player and their success, and how much he cared about us being a team, not just being on the same team, but really bonding, being a team." -- Capitals forward T.J. Oshie on Trotz

ISLANDERS NOTES:

- The Islanders have won three straight games, most recently beating the New Jersey Devils 4-1 at NYCB Live to conclude their four-game homestand.

- The Islanders are 8-2-0 in their last 10 games, and 13-3-0 in their last 16 - the best record in the NHL since Dec. 15. The Islanders have won five straight road games and have not lost a road game since Dec. 20, 2018 at Vegas.

- The Islanders are 11-5-1 against divisional opponents this season and have recorded at least one win against every Metro team this season except for Washington.

- Anders Lee has registered points in seven of his last eight games played (4G, 6A), and is currently riding a three-game point streak. Lee had four points (2G, 2A) in four games against Washington last season.

- Nick Leddy has an assist in seven of his last 10 games played (7A). Thursday's game against New Jersey was Leddy's third multi-assist game of this season (2A). All of Leddy's multi-point games have come against Metro Division opponents, as well as half of his season point total (1G, 8A out of 18 total points).

- Since returning to the lineup after missing four games with an injury, Jordan Eberle has six points (4G, 2A) in seven games. Eberle had his fifth multi-point game this season (1G, 1A) in Friday's win against the Devils. Eberle enters the Caps game with points in three straight games.

- Mathew Barzal is the Islanders leading scorer with 43 points (13G, 30A) in his second NHL season. Barzal had points in three of the four meetings against the Caps last season.

- Isles rookie forward Michael Dal Colle netted his first NHL goal on Thursday vs New Jersey.

- The Islanders are one of three teams in the NHL that currently have eight or more players on their roster with ten or more goals (Vancouver, Vegas. Filppula and Eberle each scored their 10th goals of the season against St. Louis on Jan. 15, bringing the Islanders total to eight players in double-digits. Anders Lee leads the team with 18 goals, while Brock Nelson (16), Mathew Barzal (13), Anthony Beauvillier (12), Casey Cizikas (11) and Josh Bailey (10) all have at least 10.

-With Robin Lehner playing the first half of the back-to-back Thursday night on Long Island, Thomas Greiss will likely play against Washington. Greiss has played in 25 games this season posting a 13-8-1 record with a 2.62 GAA and a .918 SV%. Greiss made 38 saves in a 5-1 win over Tampa on Sunday.

-The Islanders have shined in back-to-back games this season with a 5-2-0 in the front end of back-to-backs and 6-0-0 in back half. It is the first time since the 2006-07 season that the Isles have won six straight back-ends.

- The Islanders penalty kill is a perfect 12-for-12 over the past four games.

CAPITALS NOTES:

- The Capitals have lost their last two games, and their record is 4-4-2 in their last 10 games.

- The Capitals rank second in a very competitive Metro Division, with 59 points. Washington is 9-3-2 in division play this season.

- Alex Ovechkin currently leads the NHL in goals with 33 goals in 46 games. The Washington Capitals Captain leads his team not only in goals but also in points (52) and shots (183). Ovechkin enters the match up riding a four-game point streak.

- John Carlson and Nicklas Backstrom both rank in the top 20 assist leaders in the NHL. Carlson, a defenseman, has 37 while Backstrom, a centerman, has 34.

- Washington's starting goaltender depends on the status of Braden Holtby, who sustained an eye injury in the Capitals last game against Nashville.

Go Isles! Win one for Trotz!