Game preview: Islanders at Capitals

NOTES IN CAPITAL LETTERS:

– The Capitals are off to a hot start with a 15-6-1 record this season, good for third place in the Metropolitan Division, just two points behind the first-place Carolina Hurricanes.

– Washington is the highest-scoring team in the NHL, averaging 4.09 goals per game – and ranks ninth in goals conceded per game (2.73). The Capitals’ penalty kill ranks fourth in the NHL at 84.7%. The Capitals are off to a fast start as they lead the NHL with 33 goals in the first period.

– The Capitals reshuffled their roster in the offseason, acquiring forward Pierre-Luc Dubois from the LA Kings in exchange for goaltender Darcy Kuemper. Dubois has 14 points (2G, 12A) in 21 games for the Capitals so far.

Washington also signed defenseman Jakob Chychrun from the Ottawa Senators and forward Andrew Mangiapane from the Calgary Flames. Chychrun has 12 points (6G, 6A) in 17 games for the Caps, while Mangiapane has nine points (5G, 4A) in 22 games.

The Caps also acquired goaltender Logan Thompson from the Vegas Golden Knights, filling the void left by Kuemper’s departure. Thompson begins his Caps career with a 2.44 GAA and a 9-1-1 SV%.

– Alex Ovechkin will miss Friday’s game as the superstar is currently recovering from a broken fibula he suffered on Nov. 18 in Utah. The injury will likely require Ovechkin to miss four to six weeks, marking the longest absence of his career. Ovechkin started the season with 15 goals – and 25 total points – in 18 games. Ovechkin has 868 career goals, 26 fewer than Wayne Gretzky’s record and 27 fewer than a new NHL standard.

– A new era for the Capitals is one of the team’s top scorers. Dylan Strome leads the team with 31 points (7G, 24A) in 22 games. Connor McMichael – the Caps’ 2019 first-round pick (25^Th overall) has 20 points (13G, 7A) in 22 games, while Aliaksei Protas also has 20 points (8G, 12A).