The Washington Capitals and New York Islanders will face each other for the first time in the post-season since 1993 when the Stanley Cup Playoffs get going next week. We’ve seen Alex Ovechkin go head-to-head against fellow superstar Sidney Crosby before and now he’ll face John Tavares, which will make for some great television.
Is this the year Ovie and the Capitals can finally get out of the Eastern Conference? Or will Johnny T’s Islanders take the next step in their evolution from afterthought to powerhouse?
The Capitals will have home-ice advantage in this series.
(M2) vs. 
(M3)
G1 Wed., April 15 NY Islanders @ Washington,7 p.m. ET Sportsnet
G2 Fri., April 17 NY Islanders @ Washington,7 p.m. ET Sportsnet
G3 Sun., April 19 Washington @ NY Islanders, Noon ET Sportsnet
G4 Tues., April 21 Washington @ NY Islanders, 7:30 p.m. ET SN 360
G5* Thurs., April 23 NY Islanders @ Washington, TBD TBD
G6* Sat., April 25 Washington @ NY Islanders, TBD TBD
G7* Mon., April 27 NY Islanders @ Washington, TBD TBD
NEW YORK ISLANDERS: 47-28-6. 5th in Eastern Conference
WASHINGTON CAPITALS: 45-25-11. 4th in Eastern Conference
Head-to-head:
NY Islanders: 2-1-1
Washington: 2-0-2
Last game played head-to-head: On Feb. 21, the New York Islanders scored in the final minute of regulation to force extra time. But Washington’s Evgeny Kuznetsov scored the only goal in the shootout as Washington pulled out a 3-2 win at home.
LEADING SCORERS
NY Islanders: John Tavares (84 pts), Ryan Strome (50), Kyle Okposo (49).
Washington: Alex Ovechkin (80), Nicklas Backstrom (77), John Carlson (54).
ADVANCED STATS
NY Islanders: 5on5CF% – 52.9; 5on5Sv% – .914; 5on5Sh% – 7.80; PDO = 99.2
Washington: 5on5CF% – 51.4; 5on5Sv% – .923; 5on5Sh% – 8.05; PDO = 100.4
(via stats.hockeyanalysis.com)
PAST 10 GAMES
NY Islanders: 4-4-2
Washington: 7-2-1
LAST TIME THEY MET IN THE PLAYOFFS: In 1993, the Capitals and Islanders faced off in the first round. New York took the series in six games, winning 5-3 at home to close it out. But this series is mostly remembered for a violent incident. Pierre Turgeon scored a late goal in Game 6 that put the series out of reach for the Capitals and Dale Hunter viciously attacked his unsuspecting opponent.
NEW YORK’S HIGHLIGHT OF THE YEAR
Franchise player John Tavares does it all himself on a beautiful individual effort to beat the Maple Leafs in overtime.
WASHINGTON’S HIGHLIGHT OF THE YEAR
Talk about dangles. Alexander Ovechkin dekes past the Devils’ defenders, puts the puck between his legs and buries it in the back of the net for one of the goals of the season.
KEY INJURIES
New York: Cal Clutterbuck (day-to-day: undisclosed), Frans Nielsen (day-to-day: undisclosed), Matt Martin (day-to-day: undisclosed), Mikhail Grabovski (IR: concussion).
Washington: Eric Fehr (day-to-day: upper body), Tom Wilson (day-to-day: upper body), Jay Beagle (day-to-day: shoulder), John Erskine (IR: neck), Dmitri Orlov (IR: wrist).
