Islanders Game 13 Preview vs. Washington Capitals: Lines, Best Bets, How To Watch

The New York Islanders host the Washington Capitals at UBS Arena tonight. Here’s what you need to know beforehand.

Engvall Back In:

Pierre Engvall will be back in the lineup tonight after being a healthy scratch in the Islanders’ last game.

The decision to sit Engvall by Islanders head coach Lane Lambert, although warranted, was surprising and a little confusing, especially considering that Oliver Wahlstrom is now being pushed out of the lineup.

Pierre Engvall Made An Unclear Example By Islanders Head Coach Lambert

Pelech Still Day-To-Day:

Adam Pelech will miss his second straight game on Saturday night with a lower-body injury.

Pelech injured his hip during the first period of the Islanders’ win over Washington last Thursday and has been working through it ever since.

Projected Lineup:

Barzal-Horvat-Holmstrom

Engvall-Nelson-Palmieri

Lee-Pageau-Fasching

Martin-Cizikas-Clutterbuck

Romanov-Pulock

Aho-Dobson

Bolduc-Mayfield

Varlamov

Sorokin

Last Time Out:

The Islanders are currently in their worst stretch of the season thus far, having lost their last three games and four out of their last five.

On Thursday, the Islanders played a competitive first 40 minutes against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden but collapsed in the third period and lost 5-2.

Islanders Hang With Bruins But Can’t Hang On

Simon Holmstrom tied the game for New York with a shorthanded goal just under three minutes into the third period. But shortly after,  the Islanders gave up a backbreaking power play goal to David Pastrnak that reclaimed Boston’s lead.

Brock Nelson scored his sixth goal of the season in the loss, while Ilya Sorokin made 30 of 34 saves.

The Opponent:

Tonight’s game is the second in a back-to-back set for the Washington Capitals.

Last night, Washington beat the New Jersey Devils 4-2, improving their record to 6-4-2.

Charlie Lindgren got the start in goal for the Capitals in the win, which means Hunter Shepard will face the Islanders tonight, while Darcy Kuemper, Washington’s usual starter, remains out with an undisclosed injury.

The Islanders’ last win came against the Capitals back on Nov. 2, behind a 32-save shutout performance from Semyon Varlamov.

Islanders Outshot In Shutout Win Over Caps

Alexander Ovechkin leads Washington in points with nine, while Dylan Strome leads the team in goals with six.

The Capitals have the NHL’s 31st-ranked power play and are 13th on the penalty kill.

Best Bets:

The Islanders and Capitals are two teams that have both had issues finding consistent scoring. That being said, no matter who you pick to win tonight, take the under and bet by using odds presented by Draft Kings.

How To Watch:

Puck drop between the Islanders and Capitals from UBS Arena is scheduled for just past 7:30 p.m. EST. The game can be seen on MSG Network and streamed on MSG+ or ESPN+ for out-of-market viewers. 88.7 FM WRHU will broadcast the radio feed of the game, which can also be heard on 98.7 FM ESPN and 103.9 FM WRCN.