New York Islanders take Game 2 over Washington Capitals

The New York Islanders overcame an early deficit in Game 2 to win 5-2 over the Washington Capitals.

Following a physical first game, the fun continued into Game 2 as the Washington Capitals looked to even up the series against the New York Islanders. Right off the bat, it seemed that the Islanders were intimidated by the Caps.

Alex Ovechkin, who had been quiet so far in this postseason, would give his team the early lead,  capitalizing (no pun intended) on a fortuitous bounce off the boards.

With the Islanders caught puck watching, he was able to take the puck to the net, beating Varlamov in tight just 53 seconds into the game.

Not an easy save to make for Islanders’ netminder Semyon Varlamov, but a goal he is definitely capable of denying.

As the game went on, the Islanders finally were able to create time and space and get some high-scoring chances. After not allowing a single power play to the Capitals in the first period, the Islanders would get one of their own just minutes into the middle frame. And they would make the most of it, rather quickly if I may add.

A couple of minutes later, the Islander’s fourth line was cycling the offensive zone. After immaculate forechecking, it seemed the Capitals would be able to clear the zone as they finally got the puck on their stick. Isles defenseman Scott Mayfield made a great read on the play, before making a strong pass cross-crease to Matt Martin, who was alone to the right of Capitals’ netminder Braden Holtby.

The Islanders now had the lead and would look to build on it, as momentum seemed to be clearly on their side,

But an Ovechkin deflection off a Brenden Dillon point-shot knotted this one up at two just moments later, for his second of the game.

This back-and-forth period was not over yet, as 15 seconds later Brock Nelson, on the breakaway, beat Holtby just above his pad, as the Islanders recaptured the lead,

As the second period came to a close, the Caps needed to come out stronger than ever if they wanted to take control of this game.

And they did just that, not allowing the Islanders to get their first shot of the period until the 7:24 mark.

With just over four minutes to go in this one, J-G Pageau would pick the puck off along the left-side boards and try to make a play to Cal Clutterbuck.  The puck would be partially blocked by T.J. Oshie, but continued to go towards the front of the net.

Clutterbuck, who was standing in front of Holtby, would see the puck deflect off his glove and into the back of the net, giving the Islanders a 3-2 lead.

As we waited to see if Todd Reirden, the Capitals’ head coach was going to challenge, he decided that it was not worth it. If he loses the challenge, it would put a man in the box,  erasing any opportunity to pull Holtby.

Down one, with under 10 minutes to play, the Capitals would see a dream-like chance go by the boards on the power play.

You do not see this often, especially from no. 8. After the game when asked about this play, the Caps captain had this to say:

As the clock winded down, the Islanders showcased a precise strategy to preserve the two-goal lead. That strategy was strong, structured forechecking.

With 1:39 on the clock, Captain Anders Lee would seal the Caps’ fate, scoring on the empty-net.

Once the clock finally hit zero, the Islanders skated off the Toronto ice with a  5-2 victory and a commanding 2-0 series lead.

When the Islanders get a lead late, under Barry Trotz especially, it is not likely that the opponent is going to win the game. Due to their forechecking ability and strong-structured defense, these skills make them lethal once a lead is obtained.

For the Capitals, a hot start did not make up for the mediocre play that was to follow. After controlling much of the pace in the first period, the team in red and white struggled to control possession late in the opening frame and throughout the second period.

The biggest change was the Islanders’ improvements in the face-off dot as this game went on. Following a first period in which the Isles only won 31.6 percent of the draws, they were able to improve that number to 50 percent throughout the second period. Once the game was over, the team from the island had won 54.5 percent of the draws.

The Islanders, coming into this game, needed to stay out of the penalty box. The key for the Capitals was to keep their legs moving and rack up powerplay opportunities.

One team listened to their game plan, making it impossible for the other to follow theirs.

The discipline of the Islanders was phenomenal in this one, as they were smart choosing their spots, while also not retaliating or taking stupid, lazy penalties like we saw in the series against the Florida Panthers and what we witnessed in Game 1.

Game 3, which is slated for Sunday, August 16th at 12 PM, could see the Islanders come a game away from picking up a series sweep or it could cut the Islanders lead in half.

But after what we saw from the first two games, this Islander team is a force to be reckoned with, and if you do not bring your “A” game, things do not bode well.

The Islanders must continue to battle and create opportunities while playing shutdown defense if they want to hold off a veteran Capitals team and come ever so close to capping this series off.