Photo: Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press

On the brink of elimination, the Washington Capitals are back in action on Tuesday for Game 4 in their first-round series against the New York Islanders. Puck drop from Scotiabank Arena in Toronto is set for 8 PM ET and can be seen on NBC Sports Washington and NBCSN.

Capitals

First Round Standings: 0-3 | 1-4-1 overall

Goal Leader: Forward T.J. Oshie (3)

Assist Leader: Defenseman John Carlson (4)

Point Leader: Carlson (4)

Starting Goaltender: Braden Holtby is likely to start. He has gone 1-4-1, has 2.64 goals-against average, and has a .907 save percentage.

Power-Play: 19.1% (7th in the postseason) | Oshie and center Evgeny Kuznetsov tie with two power-play goals each.

Penalty Kill: 95.5% (3rd in the postseason) | Forward Tom Wilson leads with 21 penalty minutes.

Essential Notes: “It’s going to be our best effort of the year tomorrow… I believe in them,” head coach Todd Reirden said following Monday’s partial practice. Center Nicklas Backstrom (concusssion protocol) did skate today with the extras and black aces. It’s likely Reirden have provide another update tomorrow after seeing how Backstrom fared today. Center Lars Eller said the most important thing is staying in the moment and not thinking ahead such as a Game 5. “It only comes down to, for me, what’s right in front of you…win your next battle. It’s a steep mountain to climb if you look at as any more than that,” Eller said. That’s going to be a key mentality for the team.

Islanders

First Round Standings: 3-0 | 6-1-0 overall

Goal Leader: Forward Anthony Beauvillier (4)

Assist Leader: Forward Josh Bailey (6)

Point Leader: Beauvillier (7) and Bailey (7)

Starting Goaltender: Semyon Varlamov is likely to start. He has gone 6-1-0, has 1.71 goals-against average, and has a .932 save percentage.

Power-Play: 16.7% (11th overall)

Penalty Kill: 72% (22nd overall) | Captain Anders Lee leads with 11 penalty minutes.

Essential Notes: The Islanders have a chance to wrap up the series tomorrow night and advance to Round Two. Center Brock Nelson said on Monday that closing out a team and ending their season is “one of the toughest things,” adding, “We put ourselves in a good spot, but our work isn’t done yet.” Head coach Barry Trotz also said they are “focused”. “With our leadership group, we understand what’s at stake and we don’t look too far ahead.”

By Della Young