Washington Beats Islanders 4-1 at UBS Arena
Washington is always a tough matchup for the Islanders. Now that the Islanders have key injuries, Washington is an even more difficult matchup. The Islanders battled back to earn a point on Friday, scoring three goals to force overtime, but lost 4-3 in a shootout to the Philadelphia Flyers at UBS Arena.
Washington is also coming to UBS Arena, the home of the Islanders. If they want to reach their stated goal of making the playoffs, they need to win games at home. Emil Heineman, Matthew Schaefer, who had a goal and an assist, and Anders Lee, who had a power-play goal, scored for the Islanders in regulation. Do you agree that Washington is a hard matchup for the Islanders?
Washington Beats the Islanders 4-1
The New York Islanders hosted the Washington Capitals on Sunday afternoon at UBS Arena, in the fifth of a seven-game homestand. Washington is hot, having won six of their last seven, including a 4-2 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday. Here is a scoring summary of the most recent Islanders home loss.
In the first period, Tom Wilson scored a power play goal, giving Washington a 1-0 lead. That is how the first period ended.In the second period, Tom Wilson scored again. That was the only goal in the second period, and the period ended with the Capitals leading 2-0.
It was good for the Islanders that they came back from a 3-0 deficit, and that Schaefer and Lee both scored. Schaefer became the first teenage defenseman in NHL history to score eight goals through his first 25 career games, breaking a tie with Bobby Orr when he scored 8:11 into the second.
In the third period, Bo Horvat scored for the Islanders on the power play. That was his fifteenth goal, and the Islanders cut their deficit to 2-1. However, Aliaksei Protas scored an empty net goal for the Capitals. Then, Alex Ovechkin scored another empty-netter and the Capitals led 4-1. That is how the game ended.
Palmeri Update
The Islanders are in trouble. Kyle Palmeri (one of their top six forwards) will miss the season with a torn ACL. Palmieri will get surgery to repair an ACL tear in his left knee and will be out 6-8 months, the team announced on Saturday. He has 18 points through 25 games this season, and for a team that has struggled to score, his loss is crucial. Palmieri’s injury ends the winger’s 223-game streak, the longest on the Islanders.
Palmieri is the second player the Islanders lost long-term to injury so far this season, joining Alex Romanov, who is out 5-6 months after getting shoulder surgery. “It’s definitely tough when you lose guys,” Casey Cizikias said. “They’re such a big part of this group, what they bring to the table every single night. But it’s the next man up mentality, and we have a job to do. We’ll work as a group to get it done.”
News and Notes
- The Islanders snapped a lengthy power-play drought, going 0-for-29 before Anders Lee scored on the man advantage for the Isles’ third goal of the game on Friday. The Islanders’ power play (13.1%) ranks 32nd in the league. They need to score with the man advantage if they are having struggles scoring.
- The Islanders were so offensively challenged, they made Washington’s goaltender, Logan Thompson, look like the greatest goaltender ever.
- New York and Washington have each won a game apiece in the season series. Matthew Schaefer scored his first National Hockey League goal in the first meeting, a 4-2 loss in the Isles’ home opener on October 11. Cal Ritchie made his Islanders debut in the second meeting between the two teams, a 3-1 road win for the Islanders in Washington on October 31.
- Washington is 5-4-1 on the road this season. They looked good at UBS Arena.
- Tom Wilson leads Washington in scoring with twenty-six points in twenty-five games this season.
- Also hot for Washington is Alex Ovechkin, who has seven points in his last five games, including a four-point effort in an 8-4 win over the Montreal Canadians on November 20.
Conclusion
The Islanders are having struggles scoring, what with the injury to Palmeri; this was evident against Washington. The Islanders had a few chances against Washington, but by and large, they were anemic. They complete their season-long seven-game home stand this week, hosting the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Colorado Avalanche. They may not get a point in either of those games.
