The New York Islanders open their season at home, their original home, with a tailgate-friendly affair on Friday at Nassau Coliseum.
The visitors, the Washington Capitals, have already opened play by defeating the defending Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues in overtime on Wednesday night.
The game features the NHL debut of 2015 first-round pick Ilya Samsonov in goal for Washington. Here is their expected lineup, via Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post:
Ovechkin-Backstrom-Wilson
Vrana-Eller-Oshie
Hagelin-Stephenson-Panik
Leipsic-Dowd-Hathaway
Siegenthaler-Carlson
Orlov-Jensen
Fehervary-Gudas
Samsonov
For a further look at the opponents, check out our friends at Japers’ Rink.