New York Islanders

Islanders Game 32 Preview at Washington Capitals: Lines & How To Watch

Published

4 months ago

December 20, 2023

Fresh off their most complete victory of the season, the New York Islanders are in Washington, D.C., tonight to take on the Capitals. Here’s what you need to know before puck drop.

Gauthier Out; Martin Off IR:

Julien Gauthier is out of the Islanders’ lineup tonight after sustaining an upper-body injury last night against the Edmonton Oilers in the second period.

In his place, Oliver Wahlstrom will play on the third line. It will be Wahlstrom’s first game since Dec. 2.

The Islanders announced that Matt Martin has been elevated off the injured reserve list. Martin has served two different stints on injured reserve and hasn’t played since Nov. 15 while dealing with an upper-body injury.

Projected Lineup:

Lee-Horvat-Barzal

Engvall-Nelson-Palmieri

Holmstrom-Pageau-Wahlstrom

Fasching-Cizikas-Clutterbuck

Romanov-Dobson

Bolduc-Bortuzzo

Reilly-Aho

Varlamov

Sorokin

Last Time Out:

The Islanders defeated the Edmonton Oilers last night, 3-1, at UBS Arena.

It wasn’t a flashy win. It didn’t feature any heroics or drama from the threat of a late-game game collapse. Instead, the Islanders had a solid team victory, displaying signs of their full potential.

Islanders Show First Signs Of Their Full Potential

The Opponent:

The Washington Capitals sit four points behind the Islanders in the Metropolitan Division standings at 15-9-4. They are 5-3-2 in their last 10 games, including a 2-1 shootout win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday.

The Islanders have split their season series with the Capitals thus far. New York took the first matchup at Capital One Arena back on Nov. 2, a 3-0 shutout for Semyon Varlamov, while Washington put Lane Lambert on the hot seat a little over a week later on Nov. 11.

Dylan Strome leads all Capitals in points and goals, as scoring has been hard to come by this season in Washington.

Alexander Ovechkin seems to finally be wearing down in his age-38 season, as he’s only produced five goals thus far.

A new era seems to be just over the horizon for the Capitals as Ivan Miroshnichenko, the 20th overall pick in the 2022 draft, will make his NHL debut tonight. The 19-year-old out of Russia 15 points in 27 games for Washington’s AHL affiliate in Hershey this season.

In goal, Darcy Kuemper will get the call. In 15 starts, he’s 7-6-2 with a 2.97 GAA and a .897 save percentage.

Washington has the league’s 12th-ranked penalty kill and its worst power play.

How To Watch:

Puck drop between the Islanders and Capitals from Capital One Arena is scheduled for just past 7:30 p.m. EST. The game is only available to watch on TNT. 88.7 FM WRHU will produce the radio feed of the game, which can also be heard on 1050 AM ESPN or 103.9 FM WRCN.