Islanders need to change things up to finish off Capitals in Game 5

After their Game 4 loss to the Washington Capitals, the New York Islanders need to go back to the drawing board.

On the brink of being sent home, the Washington Capitals erased a 2-0 deficit to beat the New York Islanders by a score of 3-2 to force a Game 5.

The Islanders started off this game as strong as we have seen throughout this series, with Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Mat Barzal both lighting the lamp before we hit the halfway point of the first period.

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Besides captain Alex Ovechkin putting his team on his back with two goals, the team’s first as well as the eventual game-winner, the team from D.C. increased their physicality to shut down the Islanders’ lineup.

Despite being outhit 40-35, the Capitals seemed to be finishing every check, more notably against the Islanders’ top players like Anders Lee and Barzal.

But it would be a hit at the end of a second-period shift that would really hurt this team.

At the end of a 2:39 shift, Cal Clutterbuck would be upended by Radko Gudas, via the old-fashioned hip check, as he tried to enter the offensive zone. Clutterbuck would not return for the remainder of the game.

Capitals’ head coach Todd Reirden got his team playing an inspired brand of hockey and it surely paid off. The Islanders struggled to make easy plays, losing puck battles, as well as being pinned in their own zone for minutes on end. They were intimidated.

Once the Capitals were able to tie this game up, you knew that they were going to find a way to score the next goal. You could see the confidence brewing as the game went on and once Ovechkin was able to score on this odd-man rush to take the lead, the Islanders lost all life, until the final minute with their net empty and an extra attacker on the ice.

Any other player on an odd-man rush, defenseman Devon Toews should play the pass. But with Ovechkin carrying the puck, he has to be the focus, as he has one of the best shots in the entire NHL. Also, Josh Bailey was backchecking hard, and if the pass was made, he had a strong opportunity to break it up.

For the Islanders, who still have control over this series up three games to one, this one surely stung. Credit the Capitals for their strong play, but the Islanders got away from their gameplan.

Was it cockiness after getting an early lead? We saw cockiness in a game back in January, in which the Islanders blew a 4-1 lead in the third period to these Capitals, ultimately losing 6-4. Barry Trotz has kept the same lineup, which was 4-0 since adding Komarov on the third line, before yesterday’s results.

However, I believe it is time for him to make a change. No Islander played to the level they needed to play after going up by two.

One player whose struggles stood out more than others was Leo Komarov. He was unable to clear the zone when need be, also struggling to make easy passes in the offensive zone, as opportunities went by the board. It was not even blatant bad passes, but just not tape to tape, which impacted his teammates’ ability to take a quick shot, as they needed to catch and corral the pass first.

Komarov is in the lineup to kill off penalties first and foremost. We have seen him struggle to clear the zone on the penalty kill, easy clears at that, which puts more pressure on the team, particularly after a defensive-zone faceoff win. I believe his struggles may lead to Trotz making a move.

Based on the physicality we saw in Game 4, and the concern over Clutterbuck not being able to play in the team’s next game, it is time we see Ross Johnston in this series.

A player that has fought Tom Wilson, and won, was given the opportunity to play in the Islanders’ exhibition game against the New York Rangers the Thursday before the Qualifying Series against the Florida Panthers began.

Trotz says Clutterbuck should be back in the lineup. But if Clutterbuck cannot play, I believe Komarov will be slotted on the fourth line, with Johnston playing alongside Pageau and Derick Brassard on the third line.

What Johnston brings is his physical style of play, but also his underrated skating ability. His play can help counteract the style that the Capitals played last game, a style one can only assume returns for Game 5.

Yes, his fighting ability is second to none. If need be, him dropping the gloves will more than likely create much-needed momentum for the Islanders, whether the team is winning or losing. And momentum is crucial in the playoffs, as we saw its power first-hand last night.

Besides changing the starting lineup, the Islanders need to change some things with the man-advantage.

One for 19 in this series on the power play is not going to cut it, as many fans rather them just decline the penalties and play five on five hockey, which has been their biggest strength.

I do not believe that the players on the power play units need to change, but the strategy sure has to. The first unit has the same gameplan each time, where someone tries to feed Anthony Beauvillier in-tight for a quick one-timer.

That play worked early on in the Florida Panthers’ series, but it has not worked at all against the Capitals.

The Islanders have had success in this series in-tight on netminder Braden Holtby, who has struggled to come up with big saves. Pageau scored on a deflection in Game 4, as well as Barzal scoring in-tight in that game. Do not forget about his Game 3 overtime winner as well.

With Holtby’s rebound control rather underwhelming, they need to get pucks to the front of the net at a higher rate.

The power play looked better at times last night, but still just is not coming through and has really hurt this team given their abundance of opportunities. It does not have to be pretty. It just needs to go in.

Game 5 is scheduled for Thursday, with the time TBD. The Capitals will play the same way we saw in Game 4 and if the Islanders cannot figure out how to counteract their play, this series is far from over.