Capitals vs Islanders Recap

Posted on October 9, 2016 by Michael Fleetwood
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Rob Carr/Getty Images

In their final game of the preseason, the Capitals blanked the New York Islanders 4-0 to finish the preseason with just one regulation loss.

1st Period Scoring
Capitals: The Capitals wasted no time in setting the tone, as Andre Burakovsky managed to get a shot past New York Islanders netminder Jaroslav Halak just over a minute into the game, assisted by Justin Williams and Brooks Orpik. The Caps put eight shots on Halak and won 11 of 21 faceoffs.

Islanders: The Islanders failed to get one of their seven shots on net past Caps goalie Braden Holtby during the first period, as they struggled to keep sustained pressure on the Capitals. The Isles did not have a power play during the opening 20 minutes and won 10 of the first 21 faceoffs.

2nd Period Scoring
Capitals: The Caps started the middle frame’s first few minutes somewhat sluggish, unable to generate a solid offensive rush. However, newbie Lars Eller blasted a shot past Halak on a pressure-filled shift for the Caps to put the Caps up 2-0. Brooks Orpik registered his second assist of the game and preseason standout Zach Sanford was credited with an assist on the goal.

The Caps continued to put pressure on Halak following the goal by Eller. T.J. Oshie came close to converting on a beautiful feed from Alex Ovechkin late in the period, and Dmitry Orlov sailed a shot high of Halak. With just under six minutes to go, the Caps were gifted with a two-man advantage, and didn’t disappoint, as Ovechkin hammered a feed from John Carlson past Halak from his signature faceoff dot position. The Caps finished the second period with a commanding 3-0 lead. They added 14 shots to lead the Islanders in shots 22-17.

Islanders: The Isles’ start to the second was much better than their first, as they were able to create more scoring chances out of the gate, including on a scoreless power play. The Islanders had an opportunity to give themselves some momentum when they began a 5-on-3 power play, but a penalty on Andrew Ladd derailed it.

The Islanders came close to pulling within one when youngster Mathew Barzal ripped a feed from Chimera off the crossbar with just under seven minutes left. That would be the extent of their chances as they added just 10 shots and failed to gain any momentum.

3rd Period Scoring
Capitals: The Capitals started the third creating more offensive chances, for the most part, consistently keeping the Isles in their own end. They had a chance to increase their lead with a power play, but were unable to capitalize. Several minutes later, Ovechkin got past Chimera and dished a pass to Oshie, who deflected it in to give the Caps a dominant 4-0. The Caps failed to convert and finished the game 1/6 on the power play. They added five shots to bring their final total to 27 and outshot the Islanders 27-24.

Islanders: The Islanders continued to struggled to create and sustain offensive pressure on the Caps, constantly having to retreat into their own zone. They struggled to gain control of the puck and when they did, often turned the puck over.

The Isles squandered yet another power play midway through the period, as the Caps killed off an important opportunity. Cal Clutterbuck received a slashing penalty late in the period, which the Isles successfully killed off. The Isles had an opportunity to score on a late penalty by the Caps, but failed, and suffered a 4-0 whitewash.

High Hit:
With 1:19 left in the first, Islanders forward Cal Clutterbuck caught Caps defenseman Brooks Orpik in the face with his elbow on what appeared to be a counter hit. No penalty was assessed, but Orpik and the Capitals were not happy.

Chimmer Returns
This game was the first in seven years that New York Islanders left wing Jason Chimera was not playing a game (preseason or regular season) as a member of the Capitals. After spending the last seven seasons as a member of the Caps, Chimera signed a two-year contract with the Isles in free agency.

Special Teams
Capitals: 1/7 PP, 5/5 PK, 20:00 PIM

Islanders: 0/5 PP, 6/7 PK, 24:00 PIM
Who Impressed for Washington?:
Brooks Orpik: 2 assists, +/- +2, 1 hit, 17:56 TOI

Braden Holtby: 0 Goals Against, 24 Saves/24 Shots Against, 1.000 Save %

Barry Trotz’ post-game media session:

 

Mike Vogel’s post game report can be found right here:
All post-game interviews (audio) can be found here:

By Michael Fleetwood

About Michael Fleetwood

Michael Fleetwood was born into a family of diehard Capitals fans and has been watching games as long as he can remember. He was born the year the Capitals went to their first Stanley Cup Final, and is a diehard Caps fan, the owner of the very FIRST Joe Beninati jersey and since then, has met Joe himself. Michael joined the NoVa Caps team in 2015, and is most proud of the growth of the NoVa Caps community in that time. An avid photographer, Michael resides in VA.
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