Preview: Caps wrap up regular season against the Islanders

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Thanks to their 2-1 win over Montreal Thursday the Capitals have gone back-to-back-to-back-to-back, securing their fourth-straight Metropolitan Division title. With the playoffs one game away, Washington has just one more matchup to worry about before going for another Cup: a showdown with the New York Islanders.

New York has won three of their last four games and will be looking to finish on a strong note against Washington, who, despite clinching the division crown, wants to finish the year with a victory. Both teams have their season finale Saturday before they find out their playoff opponents.

The game kicks off at 7 p.m. on NBC Sports Washington. Here’s what you need to know to watch:

How to watch Islanders at Capitals:

What: New York Islanders at Washington Capitals, Game 82 of the 2018-19 NHL Regular Season
Where: Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C.
When: Saturday, 7 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time
TV Channel: Islanders at Capitals will be broadcast live on NBC Sports Washington.
Livestream: You can stream the Caps’ regular-season finale against the Islanders on NBC Sports Washington’s livestream page and on the MyTeams by NBC Sports App.
Radio: Caps Radio 24/7, 106.7 The Fan

Islanders at Capitals TV schedule:

6 p.m.: Caps Faceoff Live
6:30 p.m.: Caps Pregame Live
7 p.m.: Islanders at Capitals
9:30 p.m.: Caps Postgame Live
10 p.m.: Caps Overtime Live

What to watch for:

1. Holtby stays hot: The 29-year-old net minder has won five straight starts, allowing just eight goals and boasting a 1.6 GAA and .945 save percentage in that span.
2. Eye of the tiger: Lars Eller scored his 13th of the season and first point in six games against Montreal Thursday. Look for him to build off that momentum with the playoffs looming.
3. Opponents to watch: Josh Bailey has points in three of his last four and is the Islanders’ second-leading scorer with 16 goals and 56 points on the season. He’ll be one of New York’s biggest threats Saturday.

Quote of the day:

“It definitely ranks maybe even sweeter than some of the other years because I think we really had to work for it this year,” Lars Eller told NBC Sports Washington about the Caps clinching another division title. “We had to overcome suspensions, injuries, a lot of adversity. Maybe more than certain other years where things were coming a bit easier. Even though nothing comes easy.”

Stats to know:

  • T.J. Oshie has six points in his last four games.
  • Carl Hagelin has three assists in his last five games and points in five of his last eight.
  • Backstrom has three goals and four points in his last three games.
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