Game #64 Preview: New York Islanders at Washington Capitals

Where: Verizon Center, Washington, DC

When:  March 1, 2011, 7:00 PM

History:           

Caps Record on this Date: 5-8-0-3

Caps Game 64 Record: 17-12-3-2

All-Time vs. NYI: 90-79-13-3

All-Time at home vs. NYI: 46-33-11-2

Last Season vs. NYI: 3-0-1

Last Meeting: 2/26/11, WAS 3 NYI 2

Season Series: 3-0-0

This Year:

WAS Record: 33-20-10

Standings Points: 76

Division Rank: 2nd

Conference Rank: 5th

Last Game: 2/26/11, WAS 3 NYI 2

Streak: Win 1

NYI Record: 23-32-8

Standings Points: 54

Division Rank: 5th

Conference Rank: 15th

Last Game: 2/26/11, NYI 2 WAS 3

Streak: Lost 3

Probable Line-Ups:     

Washington

Forward Line 1: 8 OVECHKIN, 19 BACKSTROM, 22 KNUBLE

Forward Line 2: 21 LAICH, 44 ARNOTT, 28 SEMIN

Forward Line 3:18 STURM, 90 JOHANSSON, 25 CHIMERA

Forward Line 4: 26 HENDRICKS, 15 GORDON, 10 BRADLEY

Defense Pair 1: 23 HANNAN, 55 SCHULTZ

Defense Pair 2: 27 ALZNER, 74 CARLSON

Defense Pair 3: 6 WIDEMAN, 4 ERSKINE

Goalie: 30 NEUVIRTH

Back-up Goalie: ???

New York

Forward Line 1: 26 MOULSON, 91 TAVARES, 15 PARENTEAU

Forward Line 2: 40 GRABNER, 51 NIELSEN, 21 OKPOSO

Forward Line 3: 57 COMEAU, 12 BAILEY, ???

Forward Line 4: 17 MARTIN, 28 KONOPKA, 59 HALEY

Defense Pair 1: 47 MACDONALD, 36 HAMONIC

Defense Pair 2: 38 HILLEN, 8 GERVAIS

Defense Pair 3: 71 KATIC, 6 WISHART

Goalie: 35 MONTOYA

Back-up Goalie: 52 LAWSON

Injuries:

Washington – 3 POTI (upper body) IR, 16 FEHR (upper body) IR, 52 GREEN (head) DTD, 1 VARLAMOV (undisclosed) DTD

NYI – DIPIETRO (facial fracture) IR, EATON (hip) IR, HUNTER (knee) IR, JURCINA (groin) IR, MARTINEK (lower body) IR, MATTAU (hip) IR, POULIN (knee) IR, STREIT (shoulder) IR, WEIGHT (back) IR

Caps Milestones:

Jason Chimera needs 4 goals to reach 100 in his career.

Brooks Laich needs 3 goals to reach 100 in his career.

Alex Ovechkin needs 1 assist to reach 300 in his career.

Preview:

After a wild couple of days off, the Caps begin the stretch drive of the regular season with three new faces and say goodbye to an old one. David Steckel was dealt at yesterday’s trading deadline and Marco Sturm, Dennis Wideman and Jason Arnott will begin their Capitals career with the goal of hoisting the big silver dish in mid-June. I expect all three will be in the lineup tonight as a different Capitals team will take on the relatively unchanged Islander lineup from 3 nights ago. It will be interesting to see how the newcomers will fit into the Capitals system. I expect another hardworking game from the Islanders who will give the Caps all they can take but in the end the much more talented Caps team should prevail.  

Joe’s prediction: Caps 5 NYI 1

Official Preview