Islanders at Capitals
THE STORY: The Washington Capitals are used to being without high-scoring defenseman Mike Green. Now they face another extended stretch with Green off the ice as they tangle with the visiting New York Islanders on Tuesday. Green will undergo abdominal surgery soon and is expected to need up to six weeks to recover. It has been that kind of season for the talented blueliner, who has been limited to only 10 games this season after appearing in only 49 in 2010-11. The team has placed Green on long-term injury reserve and doesn't expect him back until early-March. In the interim, the Capitals will march on as they have for most of the season - with mixed results. Washington comes into Tuesday one point behind the Florida Panthers in the Southeast Division race. That point means the difference between owning the third seed in the Eastern Conference and being tied for seventh with the Pittsburgh Penguins, one point up on ninth-place Toronto. The Islanders are in a far more precarious position - they are 12 points back of eighth and appear headed for another sub-.500 finish unless they can turn things in a major way.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, MSG Plus (New York), CS Maryland (Washington)
ABOUT THE ISLANDERS (16-21-6): Fans may notice the three first-period goals against in a 3-1 loss to the Nashville Predators on Monday and suggest the Islanders got off to a sluggish start. Islanders coach Jack Capuano didn't agree when asked about it afterward. “I don’t think we started slow. We mismanaged the puck,” he told reporters. “We made soft plays and they capitalized.” The Islanders had gone 15-1-7 in their last 23 games against West opponents prior to Monday.
ABOUT THE CAPITALS (24-17-2): It is still stunning to see Washington sniper Alex Ovechkin outside the top 40 scoring leaders heading into the final full week before the All-Star break. After looking like he may be poised for a breakout in December (eight goals, five assists in 14 games), The "Great 8" is back to being the league's most underwhelming forward. He has only two goals and two assists to go along with a minus-3 rating in six January contests.
OVERTIME:
1. The Islanders have won only 14 of the last 55 meetings between the clubs.
2. Washington has surrendered only three goals during its three-game winning streak, and has been scored on only nine times in its last seven victories overall.
3. Ovechkin has 16 goals and 11 assists in 23 games against the Islanders.