N.Y. Islanders vs. Washington Capitals Prediction, Preview, and Odds

A pair of Metropolitan Division teams in different situations as the final week of the regular season is underway take the ice in the nation’s capital. The New York Islanders are on the road as they make the trip to face the Washington Capitals Monday night. New York comes in off a 4-0 blanking of the Flyers in their previous game Saturday night at home. Washington was beaten 4-2 at home by Florida in their most recent game Saturday night. In the last 10 meetings between the teams, the Capitals own a 7-3 advantage and have taken both meetings this season, including a 5-1 road win in the most recent matchup March 11.

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New York Islanders Looking to Maintain Hold on Playoff Position

New York drubbed Philadelphia at home Saturday night to earn their second straight win and their fourth in the last six games. The Islanders enter this game fourth in the Metropolitan Division with a 41-30-9 record, 18 points behind the Hurricanes for the top spot. They were 15 points back of the Rangers for the final guaranteed playoff spot and tied with the Panthers for the two wild card spots in the East, one point ahead of Pittsburgh. New York is 23 in goals per game as they average 2.95 goals per contest. The Islanders are 3 in goals against per game as they allow 2.63 goals a night. New York is 31 in power play success as they convert 15.7% of their chances with the man advantage this season. The Islanders are tied for 8 in penalty killing as they successfully get through 82.1% of their shorthanded situations this year.

Against the Flyers, the Islanders played their typical tough defensive zone game and withstood a strong first period from the visitors en route to the win. New York was outshot 15-8 in the opening period of play but skated off with a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes of play. Scott Mayfield provided the only goal the Islanders would need with his sixth of the season at 14:19 off assists from Simon Holmstrom and Bo Horvat to open the scoring. New York held a 10-4 edge in shots on goal in the second period and outscored the Flyers 2-0 to take a 3-0 lead after 40 minutes. Brock Nelson made it a 2-0 game with his 37 goal of the season at 7:50 off an assist from Noah Dobson. Samuel Bolduc made it a 3-0 game with his second goal of the year at 15:06 off assists from Horvat and Holmstrom. In the third period, the Islanders were outshot 8-3 but scored the lone goal of the period to put the game away. Hudson Fasching closed the scoring with his eighth goal of the year at 18:21 off assists from Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Dobson. Ilya Sorokin made 27 saves for the Islanders, who were outshot 27-21, in the shutout win. He’s likely to be between the pipes again here.

Washington Capitals Trying to Play Spoiler

Washington battled at home with Florida Saturday night but suffered their sixth straight loss and their ninth defeat in the last 10 games. The Capitals went into Sunday’s action 34-36-9 and stood sixth in the Metropolitan Division, 32 points behind the Hurricanes for the top spot. They have been eliminated from playoff contention. Washington is 20 in the league in goals per game with 3.06 goals per contest on the year. The Capitals are 17 in the league in goals against as they allow an average of 3.15 goals per contest. Washington is 17 in the league in power play success as they have converted 21.1% of their chances with the man advantage this season. The Capitals are 6 in penalty killing as they successfully navigate through 82.6% of their shorthanded situations this season.

Against Florida, Washington hung in the game until the final minute but couldn’t find a way to come up with the victory. The Capitals were outshot 10-7 in the opening period with neither team denting the twine, keeping things scoreless after 20 minutes. In the second period, Washington held a 14-9 edge in shots with both teams scoring twice, keeping the game even at the second intermission. Dylan Strome opened the scoring with his 21 goal of the season at 8:51 off assists from Tom Wilson and Aliaksei Protas. The Capitals gave up two unanswered goals to trail before Wilson netted his 10th of the year at 16:05 off assists from Conor Sheary and Evgeny Kuznetsov to tie the game. In the third period, Washington was outshot 18-3 and outscored 2-0 to wind up with the loss. Charlie Lindgren made 33 saves for the Capitals, who were outshot 37-24, in the loss. Darcy Kuemper is expected to get the start in goal for this contest.

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Full-Game Side Bet

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It's a battle of one team with everything at stake against one with nothing at stake here. Similar to each team’s games on Saturday, the Islanders are trying to maintain their hold on a wild card spot while Washington is racing to the golf course. We’ve seen the Capitals implode over the final few weeks of the season, which is why they are out of the postseason chase. Meanwhile, the Islanders know a win here, plus a win over lowly Montreal Wednesday night, clinches a playoff berth. We saw Sorokin be up to the challenge in Saturday’s game as he blanked Philadelphia. Washington is a team that looks disinterested and ready to mail it in. Take the Islanders as they earn their first win of the season over the Capitals.

Prediction: New York Islanders -148

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Full-Game Total Pick

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New York comes into this game having seen the under post a 43-33-4 record in their 80 games this season. The Islanders see an average total of 5.58 goals per game this season. That number climbs up to an average of 5.85 goals per game on the road this season. Washington has seen the under post a 40-36-3 mark in their 79 games on the year entering Monday night. The Capitals see an average total of 6.22 goals per game this season though that number drops to an average of 6.05 goals per game as the home team. We’ve seen the under hit in four of the last five meetings in Washington. With the Capitals basically having given up on the season and the Islanders excellent defensively, this one ends up under the number.

Prediction: Under 5.5

Chris King has been immersed in the world of professional and collegiate sports for more than three decades. Whether it's playing pickup games or being involved in organized sports to being a fan, he's checked all the boxes. From the NFL to arena football, the NHL to the KHL, the NBA to the WNBA to college hoops, and even MLB to the KBO.  If it's out there, he's covered it and bet on it as well, as Chris has been an expert bettor in his career.  Before joining Winners and Whiners back in 2015, his work appeared around the internet and in print. He's written books for Ruckus Books about college basketball, the NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, golf, and the World Cup. If you're looking for the inside track on hitting a winner, do yourself a favor and read what Chris has to say.