Washington Capitals vs. New York Islanders Prediction, NHL Odds
The Islanders return home after eking out a 1-0 victory in New Jersey on Sunday that snapped a three-game losing streak which bounced them from playoff contention. The Capitals have also struggled since clinching a playoff spot. The top-seeded team in the Eastern Conference is coming off back-to-back losses to Columbus this past weekend and have now dropped three straight on the road and seven of their past 10 overall.
Tuesday’s matchup is pegged as a pick ‘em on the NHL odds and the total is listed at 6.0.
Capitals vs. Islanders NHL Betting Odds
These Metropolitan Division rivals split their first two meetings this season, capped by the Islanders’ 4-1 victory on home ice on April 6. Overall, the Capitals hold a slight edger in head-to-head action, winning six of 10 meetings with the Islanders, but have mustered just two total goals while falling to defeat in their past two visits to Belmont Park. Conversely, the Isles have filled the net, averaging four goals per game over their past four dates with the Caps. However, goals have come at a premium for the Islanders, who have potted more than three markers just three times while losing nine of their past 12. Outgunned by a combined 11-1 margin in this past weekend’s home-and-home series with the Blue Jackets, Washington’s woes could not have come at a worse time. The club has scored one or fewer goals in four of six outings, and just two total goals during their three-game road losing streak, and have been lit up for an average of 4.50 goals over the past 10 games.
Washington Capitals
While the Capitals would certainly prefer to close out the schedule on a win streak, getting healthy and entering the playoffs well rested appears to be the priority in Washington. Alex Ovechkin enjoyed a day off on Saturday while his teammates were pounded 7-0 by the Blue Jackets and as the postseason approaches, seeing more top performers get a night off should not come as a surprise. That includes veteran rearguard John Carlson, who joined Ovechkin in the press box on Saturday, and netminder Logan Thompson, who has been sidelined by injury since April 2. Aliaksei Protas is also unlikely to see any action until the postseason. The towering Belarussian centre has enjoyed a breakthrough campaign, scoring 30 goals and adding 36 assists, but has been sidelined with a foot injury since April 4.
New York Islanders
The Islanders will be playing for pride and their jobs in the final two games of the regular season, but snapping out of their current funk remains a tall order, even against Capitals squad looking beyond Tuesday’s contest. Bo Horvat remains the team’s most productive performer, scoring three goals and adding two assists over the past five games. Noah Dobson potted a marker and added a helper in the club’s 4-3 shootout win over fellow also-rans Philadelphia, but has cracked the scoresheet in just three of 11 outings.
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