Early look The full preview opens on Sunday 14 March, three days before puck drop, with the expected goalies, the latest team news and game-day prices. Until then this page shows the matchup as it stands.
Early look · NHL 2026-27

New York Islanders at Washington Capitals: game preview

Puck drop17 Mar · 7:00 PM ET
VenueCapital One Arena
All-time meetings295 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Four points apart last season

NY Islanders finished last season 19th in the league on 91 points. Washington finished 12th on 95, and the 2025-26 season series went WSH 3-1-0.

Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.

Head-to-head

Meeting number 296

Across 295 completed games, Washington lead the head-to-head 150-120-25.

All-time record150-120-25Washington's record in the series
Meetings played295This is number 296
2025-26 seriesWSH 3-1-0
Last 54-1Washington
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
2 Feb 2026NYI 1 – WSH 4——WSH
30 Nov 2025WSH 4 – NYI 1——WSH
31 Oct 2025NYI 3 – WSH 1——NYI
11 Oct 2025WSH 4 – NYI 2——WSH
15 Apr 2025WSH 3 – NYI 1——WSH
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateNY IslandersWashington
11 Oct 20250-2-0 · 0 pts31st1-1-0 · 2 pts18th
31 Oct 20255-5-1 · 11 pts24th6-5-0 · 12 pts18th
30 Nov 202513-10-3 · 29 pts15th15-9-2 · 32 pts7th
2 Feb 202628-19-5 · 61 pts13th25-21-7 · 57 pts19th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 11 Oct 2025, NY Islanders were 31st in the league and Washington 18th. By 2 Feb 2026 it was 13th and 19th.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

NY Islanders out-attempted Washington 260 to 220

Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.

New York Islanders

260 att · 120 on goal · 7 G · 5.8%
Crease21 att · 0 G
Slot91 att · 4 G
Wing100 att · 2 G
Point43 att · 0 G
Neutral zone5 att · 1 G

Washington Capitals

220 att · 96 on goal · 13 G · 13.5%
Crease18 att · 1 G
Slot95 att · 8 G
Wing60 att · 3 G
Point35 att · 0 G
Neutral zone12 att · 1 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

NY Islanders and Washington are level on chances, last 10 games

Shot quality both ways: expected goals weigh every unblocked attempt by its chance of scoring. Finishing above zero means more goals than the chances.

NY IslandersWashington
2.90xG for per game2.48
3.70xG against per game4.09
44.0%xG share37.7%
+0.3FinishingGoals minus expected goals+1.0
+4.1GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+3.2

This season: 3 games for NY Islanders, 2 for Washington. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.

Every team’s xG →


Special teams

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

This season's rates first, then 2025-26 and the last meetings between the two. Power-play chances are counted from the penalty log with coincidental minors cancelled; faceoffs are each club's wins over draws taken.

All bars share one scale · 0–100%SeasonLast meetings

NY Islanders

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2718.2%
Power play · 2025-2616.5% · 30th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2783.3%
Penalty kill · 2025-2680.8% · 10th
Faceoffs · 2026-2749.1% · 81/165
Drawn · 2026-2711 (3.67/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2712 (4.00/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Washington

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2725.0%
Power play · 2025-2617.8% · 25th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2788.9%
Penalty kill · 2025-2680.1% · 14th
Faceoffs · 2026-2746.4% · 51/110
Drawn · 2026-274 (2.00/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-279 (4.50/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Skaters

Skaters to watch

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away.

PlayerGPGAPP/GP
10Brayden Schenn31341.33
14Bo Horvat32131.00
53Casey Cizikas31120.67
89Alex Tuch22021.00
17Dylan Strome20221.00
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
8Logan Stanley30220.67
3Adam Pelech30110.33
44Cole Hutson21010.50
3Matt Roy20000.00
Defencemen stats

Goaltending

Who has stopped this matchup

Save percentage in the last meetings by goalie. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

Expected starter after their game on 15 Mar: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 15 Mar: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

NY Islanders crease

NYI · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 14 Mar

Ilya Sorokin.9682 GP · 1-1-0 · GSAx +4.1
Semyon Varlamov.8641 GP · 0-1-0 · GSAx +0.4

No appearances against Washington in the last meetings.

Washington crease

WSH · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 14 Mar

Charlie Lindgren.9311 GP · 0-1-0 · GSAx +1.4
Logan Thompson.9391 GP · 1-0-0 · GSAx +2.0

No appearances against NY Islanders in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 5.9 goals

No total is posted yet: it arrives with the game-day prices. Until then, the scoring rates and the recent meetings set the range.

Goals in the last 5 meetings

2 Feb 20265 · NYI 1–4 WSH
30 Nov 20255 · WSH 4–1 NYI
31 Oct 20254 · NYI 3–1 WSH
11 Oct 20256 · WSH 4–2 NYI
15 Apr 20254 · WSH 3–1 NYI

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA
NY Islanders3.002.332.842.94
Washington3.002.503.212.98

Goals for and against per game. The estimate averages each team’s scoring with the other’s goals allowed, and leans on 2025-26 until a team has played 20 games.

Scoring rates suggest5.9Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings4.8Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

5 on the injury lists

NY Islanders · injuries

Alexander RomanovUndisclosedDay-to-dayReturn8 Oct
Mathew BarzalKneeIRReturn10 Oct

Washington · injuries

Matt RoyLower BodyDay-to-dayReturn7 Oct
Patrick ThomasUpper BodyIRReturn24 Oct
Rasmus SandinKneeIRReturn26 Dec
27 Sep · NYI

Agreed to terms with LD Logan Stanley on a 1-Year contract worth $1.5M. Placed G Vitek Vanecek on waivers with the intention of sending to Hamilton (AHL)

26 Sep · NYI

Waived Fs Tanner Fritz, Matt Luff and Nathan Chaffee. Waived Fs Dylan Foudy and Hudson Kuefler for the purpose of sending to Hamilton (AHL).

24 Jul 2026 · NYI

Signed F Alex Jefferies to a one-year contract.

27 Sep · WSH

Placed G Clay Stevenson, D Louie Belpedio, C Mike Brodzinski and RW Spencer Smallman on waivers. Released G Cal Petersen and D Jonathan McDonald from their professional tryout agreements. Assigned LW Maxim Schäfer to Cape Breton (QMJHL).

27 Sep · WSH

Placed G Clay Stevenson, D Louie Belpedio, C Mike Brodzinski and RW Spencer Smallman on waivers. Released G Cal Petersen from his professional tryout agreement.

26 Sep · WSH

Placed D Justin Holl on waivers for the purpose of being loaned to Hershey (AHL).

Injury report

NY Islanders · 2026 draft

See all: NY Islanders · 2026 draft →
#13Malte GustafssonRound 1 · Hv71D
#109Lincoln KuehneRound 4 · Arizona StateD
#141Vladimir DraveckyRound 5 · BrantfordD
#173Artyom MatyukRound 6 · Nizhny Novgorod Jr.C
Full draft
#18Oliver SuvantoRound 1 · TapparaC
#101Tyus SparksRound 4 · SpokaneC
#144Brian McFaddenRound 5 · Thayer AcademyD
#208Logan StuartRound 7 · Usa U-18C
Full draft

Updated after every final