Islanders Game 9 Preview at Washington Capitals: Lines, Best Bets, Who and How To Watch

Washington, D.C.– The New York Islanders are making a quick trip to our nation’s capitol on Thursday to face their division rival, Washington Capitals. Here’s what you need to know ahead of time.

Mayfield Game Time Decision

Islanders head coach Lane Lambert said that defenseman Scott Mayfield will be a game-time decision for tonight’s game.

Mayfield has missed the Islanders’ last seven games with a lower-body injury. If he is able to play, Mayfield will replace Samuel Bolduc in the Islanders’ lineup.

Fasching Back In:

Hudson Fasching is being reinserted into the lineup for the Islanders after being a healthy scratch for the last five games.

“He holds on to the puck, he makes plays, and certainly, he’s defensively responsible,” Lambert said. “We’re looking forward to seeing him back.”

Fasching will slide in on the right wing of the Islanders’ third line, replacing Oliver Wahlstrom next to Simon Holmstrom and Jean-Gabriel Pageau.

“I think I can forecheck harder,” Fasching said. “That’s something that I really want to focus on. Watching my first three games, it’s something I can do better coming back into the lineup. I want to make sure everything is detailed and dialed in in the defensive zone and then try to make plays. I’ve got some creative linemates, so I’m excited to be playing with them.”

Projected Lineup:

Lee-Horvat-Barzal

Engvall-Nelson-Palmieri

Holmstrom-Pageau-Fasching

Martin-Cizikas-Clutterbuck

Pelech-Dobson

Romanov-Pulock

Aho-TBD

Varlamov

Sorokin

Last Time Out:

Holding a two-goal lead, the Islanders allowed three straight goals to the Detroit Red Wings in the third period and eventually lost in overtime, 4-3, on Monday night at UBS Arena.

“It’s unacceptable, especially at home, to give up three unanswered goals in the third,” Noah Dobson said following the loss. “We’ll take the positive of getting a point, but we got to do a better job. That should be two points every time, so we’ll learn from that and move forward.”

Casey Cizikas, Brock Nelson and Bo Horvat all scored for the Islanders, while Ilya Sorokin stopped 32 of 36 shots in net.

The Opponent:

The Washington Capitals are winners of their last three games, most recently beating the San Jose Sharks, 3-1, on Sunday.

Alex Ovechkin leads the Capitals with eight points, despite his goal-scoring numbers down to begin the year. Dylan Strome leads the team with six goals.

Washington has struggled on special teams under new head coach Spencer Carberry, ranking 26th in the NHL on the power play and 22nd on the penalty kill.

The Capitals will be without a major piece of their lineup for the foreseeable future, starting tonight against the Islanders, after veteran center Nicklas Backstrom announced he is stepping away from the game on Wednesday.

Backstrom has played his entire 17-year career in Washington but has struggled this season after undergoing hip resurfacing surgery in June of 2022.

Tom Wilson and T.J. Oshie will take turns serving as an alternate captain, with Backstrom stepping away.

Best Bets:

The Islanders’ fourth line has come up with a few timely goals in recent games, helping Casey Cizikas put together a three-game point streak. You can bet on him to find the stat sheet again using odds presented by Draft Kings.

Who To Watch:

During the Islanders’ loss to Detroit, Lambert made a switch to his lineup that proved costly, as he took Mathew Barzal off the first line to begin the final period.

Lambert said the move was made to solidify the team’s defense while up two goals and indicated that Barzal wasn’t doing enough on both ends of the ice.

Keep an eye on how Barzal responds and if Lambert opts to make a similar decision tonight against Washington.

How To Watch:

Puck drop between the Islanders and Capitals from Capital One Arena is scheduled for just past 7 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 1050 AM ESPN and 103.9 FM WRCN.

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