Photo by Mike Stobe/NHLI via Getty Images
The Washington Capitals downed the New York Islanders by a score of 4-1 at UBS Arena on Saturday night. The team improved to 6-1-1 in their last eight games and is 7-4-2 overall this season. Goaltender Hunter Shepard made 36 saves in the victory.
Washington leapfrogged the New Jersey Devils (who has played the same number of games as Washington) by for third place in the Metropolitan Division and are now three points ahead of New York (same number of games as Washington) and the Philadelphia Flyers (with a game in hand).
Washington’s Lines
Alex Ovechkin – Evgeny Kuznetsov – Tom Wilson
Sonny Milano – Dylan Strome – T.J. Oshie
Aliaksei Protas – Connor McMichael – Matthew Phillips
Beck Malenstyn – Nic Dowd – Nicolas Aube-Kubel
Alexander Alexeyev – John Carlson
Rasmus Sandin – Nick Jensen
Hardy Häman Aktell – Lucas Johansen
Shepard
Charlie Lindgren
Scratched: C Hendrix Lapierre
Injuried: LW Anthony Mantha (upper-body), D Trevor Van Riemsdyk (lower-body), D Joel Edmundson (hand), LW Max Pacioretty (Achilles), C Nicklas Backstrom (hip), G Darcy Kuemper (undisclosed), D Martin Fehervary (undisclosed)
New York’s Lines
Mathew Barzal – Bo Horvat – Simon Holmstrom
Pierre Engvall – Brock Nelson – Kyle Palmieri
Anders Lee – Jean-Gabriel Pageau – Hudson Fasching
Matt Martin – Casey Cizikas – Cal Clutterbuck
Sebastian Aho – Noah Dobson
Alexander Romanov – Ryan Pulock
Samuel Bolduc – Scott Mayfield
Semyon Varlamov
Ilya Sorokin
Scratched: RW Julien Gauthier, RW Oliver Wahlstrom
Injured: D Adam Pelech (lower-body)
First Period
Scoring
9:18, 1-0 Washington: Ovechkin wristed a shot between Varlamov’s right pad and glove off of a faceoff win by Kuznetsov. The Capitals have scored the first goal in four-straight games. Kuznetsov has registered three points in his last two games.
8️⃣2️⃣5️⃣ pic.twitter.com/cUITZb5v3C
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) November 12, 2023
19:17, 1-1: After Shepard turned the puck over behind the net, Jensen blew a wheel and the puck went to Horvat below the goal line. He threw it to Romanov in front and Romanov buried a wrist shot into an open goal.
Romanov with his first of the season! pic.twitter.com/w7RW96RCVg
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) November 12, 2023
Shots: 12-7 New York
Other Notable Stats: 8-6 New York in blocked shots
Graph: Natural StatTrick
Second Period
Scoring
13:05, 2-1 Washington: After Varlamov came out of the goal to make a save, he dove to make another on Aube-Kubel, who starred down a wide open net at the left post, with his glove. Dowd went right to the cage to bat one out of mid-air into an open net. Aube-Kubel has three points in two games since being recalled from the AHL’s Hershey Bears.
this fourth line is inevitable right now pic.twitter.com/BrbH1a45N7
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) November 12, 2023
19:20, 3-1: Protas hammered a one-timer up close after Philipps stripped the puck from behind the net and set Protas up in front of the net. Both Protas and McMichael, who earned the secondary assist, tallied their third point (two assists) in their last three games.
Philly and Pro link up for a no-doubter pic.twitter.com/i8x91WWP2C
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) November 12, 2023
Shots: 22-21 Washington, including 15-9 in the second period
Other Notable Stats: 16-9 Washington in blocked shots, 9-9 in hits, Washington had won 58% of faceoffs through 40 minutes.
Third Period
Scoring
19:57, 4-1 (ENG): Ovechkin wristed a shot from the blueline after getting a pass from Washington’s zone.
Shots: 37-28 New York (including 16-6 in the third)
Other Notable Stats: 30-11 Washington in blocked shots, 17-17 in hits
Next game: Tuesday vs. Vegas Golden Knights (7 PM ET, Monumental Sports Network in-market, ESPN+ out-of-market)
By Harrison Brown