The Washington Capitals will look to get back in the win column for a Friday night showdown on Long Island, when they take on the New York Islanders. Washington is coming off a 5-1 loss against the New York Rangers, snapping its four game point streak.
This is the fourth and final meeting between these two Metropolitan Division rivals, with the Capitals leading the season set 2-1.
Here are the projected lines.
Alex Ovechkin – Connor McMichael – Tom Wilson
Aliaksei Protas – Dylan Strome – Anthony Mantha
Ivan Miroshnichenko – Evgeny Kuznetsov – Matthew Phillips
Beck Malenstyn – Nic Dowd – Nicolas Aube-Kubel
Martin Fehervary – John Carlson
Rasmus Sandin – Ethan Bear
Joel Edmundson – Nick Jensen
Charlie Lindgren
Darcy Kuemper
There were major line shake ups during Thursday’s practice at UBS Arena. The two biggest being Max Pacioretty and Ethan Bear taking line rushes for the first time. Pacioretty skated on the third line with Evgeny Kuznetsov and Matthew Phillips and Bear skated on the second pairing with Rasmus Sandin.
However, Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery did not fully commit to either of them suiting up against New York. Bailey Johnson of The Washington Post said that, “both still have some final checks to clear with the doctors.”
Late Thursday afternoon, the Capitals officially announced Bear’s transaction so it is likely that he will suit up.
“It’s tough getting hurt, doing surgery, stuff like that. But the rehab, the recovery, it’s actually been a blessing in disguise. I’ve never had time like this to strengthen other areas of my body,” Bear said on Thursday. “I had time to reflect on my career and my journey and it makes you appreciate you being here and being in this environment and playing in the National Hockey League a lot more.”
Bear had 16 points (three goals, 13 assists) in 61 games with the Vancouver Canucks last season. The Caps have been wanting more production from their backend and Bear should help that cause.
Meanwhile, the Capitals continue to have issues scoring at five-on-five. That was his main theme during his postgame press conference on Wednesday, which is a big reason why the lines in practice were mixed up. Carbery said that he was hesitant to change things up because of the success of the line of Anthony Mantha, Connor McMichael and Aliaksei Protas. Dylan Strome will be centering that line with McMichael moving up.
The 22-year-old has been a success story all season and will get his chance to center the top line with Alex Ovechkin and Tom Wilson. When asked about why McMichael would be promoted, Carbery said that it is because of his speed, confidence and playmaking ability. He also wants to see that line to set the tone for the rest of the game.
“It doesn’t necessarily need to be production on the scoresheet, [they just need to] control play,” Carbery said. “Being able to generate a little bit of chemistry, some o-zone shifts, being able to read off one another, support one another, be able to generate whether it’s off the rush, whether it’s off forecheck pressure, where we’re able to attack or o-zone sequences, being able to have some sequences like that.”
The Capitals are still scoring 2.34 goals per game, which is the second least in the NHL.
Scouting New York
The Islanders (16-9-9) were blanked 7-0 by the Pittsburgh Penguins back on Wednesday. New York allowed six goals in the second period. However, the Islanders were playing really good hockey before the holiday break.
Ilya Sorokin, who is the projected starter for New York, allowed six goals on 14 shots in the second period.
Mathew Barzal continues to have a very strong season. He leads the Islanders with 35 points (10 goals, 25 assists). Noah Dobson has played very well offensively despite some recent struggles in his own end. He is second on the team with 34 points (five goals, 29 assists) in 34 games.
The Islanders currently boast the ninth best power play in the league operating at 24%, though it went 0-for-2 against the Penguins.
Player To Watch
Brock Nelson leads the Islanders with 16 goals and has three goals in his last five games.
Puck drop is slated for 7:30 p.m. at UBS Arena. The game can be streamed on Monumental Sports Network.
By Jacob Cheris