It's an extremely small sample size, but the Lightning have just 44.87% of the shot attempt share and 47.43% of the expected goals share at 5-on-5, per Natural Stat Trick, while the Capitals have a Top-5 xGF share at 57.4%.

Of course, Carlson hopes to continue playing with Washington, which selected him in the first round (No. 27) of the 2008 NHL Draft. This is home for Carlson, who lives in the area year-round with wife Gina and their four children, sons Lucca, 10, Rudy, 7, and Sawyer, 4, and daughter Isabella, 2.

Welcome back to another NHL Predictions. Each day, our writers here at Last Word on Hockey look at the games and give in-depth analysis. Our team breaks down the key matchups, storylines, and stats, then makes predictions based on how they might play out.

Aliaksei Protas had two goals and an assist, and the Washington Capitals beat New York 4-2, spoiling the Islanders’ home opener.

The Washington Capitals are 2-1-0 on the year and now have gotten word about the injury status of center Pierre-Luc Dubois.

Web site of the New York Rangers. New York Rangers is a trademark of New York Rangers, LLC. NHL, the NHL Shield, the word mark and image of the Stanley Cup and NHL Conference logos are registered trademarks of the National Hockey League.

With the NHL season officially underway, the league has teamed up with lululemon once again, expanding its collection to include all 32 teams.

Aliaksei Protas has a younger brother who was also an NHL Draft pick. Little bro's name is Ilya, and he was a third-round pick in 2024 by the Capitals. He currently plays in the AHL for the Hershey Bears.