The Washington Capitals downed the New York Islanders, 5-2 Monday night at Capital One Arena. The victory improves the Capitals record to 35-36-9 (79 points) on the season.
The Capitals wasted no time in this one, getting goals from Dylan Strome and Rasmus Sandin in the first 1:03 of the game for a quick 2-0 lead. Craig Smith added a tally just past the midway point of the period to give the Capitals 3-0 lead at the first intermission.
After a scoreless middle frame, the Islanders finally notched their first tally with just 5:08 remaining in regulation to make it 3-1. Tom Wilson added an empty net goal late to make it 4-1, but the Islanders answered back less than a minute later with a 6-on-5 goal to make it 4-2. Dylan Strome added an empty net goal to make it 5-2, the final.
LINES AND PAIRS
Darcy Kuemper (21-26-6, 2.84 GAA, .909 sv%) got the start between the pipes for the Capitals. Ilya Sorokin (30-21-0-7, 2.33 GAA, .925 sv%) got the start for the visiting Islanders. The Capitals starting forward lines and defensive pairs:
Conor Sheary – Dylan Strome – Tom Wilson
Joe Snively – Nicklas Backstrom – Craig Smith
Sonny Milano – Evgeny Kuznetsov
Beck Malenstyn – Aliaksei Protas – Nicolas Aube-Kubel
Martin Fehervary – John Carlson
Rasmus Sandin – Nick Jensen
Matt Irwin – Alex Alexeyev
Injuries: Left-wing Carl Hagelin (hip), right-wing Connor Brown (ACL), right-wing T.J. Oshie (upper-body), center Nic Dowd (upper-body), defenseman Trevor Van Riemsdyk (upper-body), left wing Anthony Mantha (lower-body), and captain Alex Ovechkin (upper-body)
Transactions: The Capitals recalled forward Beck Malenstyn from the AHL’s Hershey Bears on Friday and recalled Joe Snively from Hershey on Monday.
FIRST PERIOD
The Capitals wasted no time in denting the twine in this one. Dylan Strome (22) opened the scoring just 36 seconds into the contest, extending his consecutive games with a goal to four games. Strome has also scored the first tally in the last three games.
Dylan Strome grabs the failed clear and rips one home to break the ice for Washington just 36 seconds in!#ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/opZTjlxO5p
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights (@HockeyDaily365) April 10, 2023
Rasmus Sandin found the back of the net just 27 seconds later to make it 2-0 at 1:03. Craig Smith (7) and Nicklas Backstrom (13) had the helpers.
Rasmus Sandin surprises Sorokin through traffic to quickly push the Capitals lead to 2!#ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/S4XqESEMyZ
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights (@HockeyDaily365) April 10, 2023
The Capitals made it 3-0 on Craig Smith’s 8th goal of the season at 13:13 of the first frame. Martin Fehervary (10) had the lone helper.
Craig Smith scores against the New York Islanders to make it 3-0 #WSHvsNYI #ALLCAPS #Isles pic.twitter.com/YXuCL3wOhU
— nopClips (@nopClips) April 10, 2023
And that was it for the first frame. The Capitals led possession until the 8 min mark when Islanders began to control. The Isles lead in five-on-five shot attempts, 26-16, scoring chances, 13-7 and xGF 1.04 to .71 and led 52-48% at the dot.
SECOND PERIOD
The Capitals and Islanders skated to a scoreless draw in the middle frame, with the Capitals maintaining their 3-0 lead at the second intermission.
The Islanders led in five-on-five shot attempts, 25-19 in middle frame and 51-35 after 40 minutes. The Islanders led in xGF 1.90 to 1.58, and 57-43% at the dot.
THIRD PERIOD
The Capitals and Islanders skated to a scoreless draw for a majority of the final frame before the Islanders finally got on the scoreboard. Hudson Fasching (x) recorded the Islanders first goal at 14:52.
The Capitals answered with an empty net goal from Tom Wilson (11) at 15:44 to make it 4-1, but the Islanders struck right back less than a minute later with a 6-on-5 goal from Casey Cizikas to make it 4-2 at 16:43.
Dylan Strome added an empty net goal late to make it 5-2
The Capitals now head north to Massachusetts in advance of their tilt with the Bruins in Boston Tuesday night.
SHAVINGS
- Dylan Strome scored his 22nd goal of the season to give the Capitals a 1-0 lead. Strome has scored in four-straight games, marking the longest goal streak of his career.
- With his 22nd goal of the season, Strome has tied his single-season career high in goals (2021-22: 22).
- Strome has scored the game-opening goal in three-straight contests and has scored the Capitals’ first goal of the game in four-straight games.
- Tonight marks Strome’s 79th game of the season, which establishes a new single-season career high in games played (previously: 2018-19: 78).
- John Carlson recorded the primary assist on the Capitals’ first goal, his 19th assist of the season. Carlson has recorded seven points (1g, 6a) in eight games since returning to the Capitals’ lineup on March 23. Carlson ranks second on the team in points in that span.
- Rasmus Sandin scored his sixth goal of the season to extend the Capitals’ lead to 2-0. With the goal, Sandin has set a new single-season career high in goals (previously: 2021-22: 5g).
- Craig Smith recorded the primary assist on the Capitals’ second goal, his seventh assist of the season. Smith’s 19 points (11g, 8a) in 30 career games against the Islanders are the fifth most he has recorded against a single opponent.
- Craig Smith scored his eighth goal of the season to extend the Capitals’ lead to 3-0. It marks Smith’s second point of the period (1g, 1a). Smith is now one goal shy of 200 career goals.