Islanders vs. Capitals Game 7: Preview, Prediction for NHL Playoff Series Finale

Facing elimination and the prospect of a final game at Nassau Coliseum, the New York Islanders sent their fans home happy Saturday afternoon by beating the Washington Capitals 3-1 in Game 6 of their first-round NHL playoff series.

Game 7 will take place Monday night at Washington's Verizon Center at 7:30 p.m. ET, with the winner getting the New York Rangers in the second round.

How will Game 7 be decided? What are the key plot points entering this game? Good thing you asked, because the answers to those questions are below.

New York Islanders' Storylines

Can the depleted blue line do it again?

If there was one reason to believe the Islanders were doomed in Game 6, it was the fact they had to play that game without Travis Hamonic, Lubomir Visnovsky and Calvin de Haan. They had just been blown out in Game 5 with de Haan, so logic dictated that without him, the Capitals were going to be able to run the show.

Hockey and logic, however, rarely go together. WEEI's Scott McLaughlin noted this stat:

Johnny Boychuk and Nick Leddy did the heavy lifting, Brian Strait and Thomas Hickey made contributions while Matt Donovan and Scott Mayfield each played about 10 minutes on the bottom pairing. The Capitals registered 39 shots and Jaroslav Halak played a massive role, but that group of six was good enough.

They will need to be better in Game 7. 

Is there a power-play goal coming?

The Islanders are 0-of-13 on the power play this series, an alarming number both for the zero and the slightly more than two chances per game. It's not as though the Islanders need to score a power-play goal to win this series, as they've already won three times without one, but you know, it would be nice.

The Vancouver Sun's Cam Cole wasn't impressed by the Islanders' power-play efficiency:

With Visnovsky out, the Islanders are missing their power-play quarterback. Drawing a penalty will be just as difficult as converting a power play.

Washington Capitals' Storylines

Will the Capitals keep their cool?

Yes, they've only given the Islanders 13 power plays in six games, but that's mostly because referees are taking the idea of letting things go in the postseason to extreme levels. The Islanders play a bruising style, hitting everything in sight, and sometimes that results in the Capitals, a heavy, physical team in their own right, looking to retaliate.

It incited a reaction from Alex Ovechkin, who in Game 6 couldn't resist a chance to hit John Tavares when he was already adequately defended. The puck found its way in front of the net to Nikolai Kulemin, who scored the winner against a disorganized defense.

Newsday's Arthur Staple detailed the play:

The Caps can't get away from hitting, but with the fluctuating standard of penalties and the Islanders looking to get under their skin, they must be careful.

Can this group win a Game 7?

The last time the Capitals were in a Game 7, it was at home in 2013; they lost 5-0 to the Rangers with Braden Holtby in net.

"We have a different team now," Holtby said after losing Saturday, according to NHL.com's David Satriano.

Since 2008, the Capitals are 1-4 at home in Game 7s. Many players from that group haven't been around for all of them, but Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and Mike Green were all there. 

Will history be rewritten? We'll see this Monday.

Prediction

Capitals 3, Islanders 2

All statistics via NHL.com. 

Dave Lozo covers the NHL for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter: @DaveLozo.