Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2009

New York Islanders (6-6-5) at Washington Capitals (10-3-4), 7 p.m.

The Washington Capitals will try for a third straight victory without superstar Alex Ovechkin when they host the New York Islanders tonight at Verizon Center.

Ovechkin, the reigning Hart and Rocket Richard Trophy winner, has missed the last three games with an upper-body strain. Washington lost its first test without the Russian winger, but bounced back by sweeping a home-and-home series against Florida this past weekend.

Ovechkin skated on Tuesday, but still isn't expected to return until next week at the earliest. Despite his absence, the 24-year-old is still the NHL's leading goal-scorer with 14 tallies this year, although Anze Kopitar of Los Angeles has since tied Ovechkin for that distinction.

After posting a 4-1 victory in Sunrise on Friday, the Caps returned home for Saturday's pasting of the Panthers. Mike Knuble registered two goals and picked up two assists to lead Washington to the 7-4 victory. The Capitals trailed 3-2 heading into the third period before exploding for five goals in the final stanza at Verizon Center.

"We didn't let up," Knuble said. "We kept going and stuck with the game plan."

Tomas Fleischmann also tallied twice, while Brooks Laich, Mathieu Perreault and Quintin Laing provided the rest of the scoring for the Capitals. Nicklas Backstrom collected two assists, and Jose Theodore made 24 saves in the win.

Caps defenseman Mike Green missed Saturday's game with an upper-body injury and is questionable for tonight's test. Green is leading all Washington blueliners with 13 points (2 goals, 11 assists) this season.

Tonight marks the middle portion of three-game homestand for the Caps, who are 5-1-3 as the host this year. Washington will complete the residency Friday against Minnesota.

The Islanders are coming off a victory their last time out on Saturday, as they recorded a 6-3 decision over visiting Atlanta. Matt Moulson and Blake Comeau each had a goal and an assist to lead the Isles to the easy win at Nassau Coliseum.

Sean Bergenheim, Andy Sutton, Josh Bailey and Jack Hillen each had a goal for the Islanders, who snapped a two-game skid. Dwayne Roloson made 31 saves in the win.

"We had balanced scoring tonight," said Islanders head coach Scott Gordon. "Whenever you get scoring like that on a particular night its hard to defend against."

The Islanders are kicking off a season-high seven-game road trip with tonight's tilt. New York has a poor 1-4-3 record as the visiting club so far this season.

The Caps and Isles have split two meetings this season with each club winning in overtime on the opposition's ice. Washington has taken six of 10 overall in the series, but the Islanders have taken four of their last six games in D.C.