N.Y. Islanders: Power Play Remains Short Circuited

From the desk of: NO SLEEP TILL BELMONT

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE

2019   PLAYOFFS   2020

Isles Lead Caps; 3-1

I - NYI 4; WAS 2

II - NYI 5; WAS 2

III - NYI 2; WAS 1*

IV - WAS 2; NYI 1

*overtime

Alex Ovechkin Helps Capitals Avert Elimination

Winning the fourth game of a playoff series is always hardest for a reason.

Washington is not going down lightly, especially with Alex Ovechkin on the ice.  The Capitals stave off elimination with a victory in game four, making the series 3-1 in favor of the Isles.  Without thinking too loudly, I wouldn't want my team sitting around after a sweep.  More hockey may be a good thing.

But hockey fans know very well the deeper a series and the playoffs go the more important special teams become.  Given five PP opportunities in game four, the Islanders again come up empty.  The Isles are now an anemic 1/19 (0.52%) on the power play versus the Capitals.  Rewind to last series and the Isles are 4/16 (25%) in four games against the Florida Panthers.  All told they are now 5/35 (14.2%) since entering the bubble.  Together the Panthers and Capitals are 8/30 (26.6%) on the power play.  Eight goals means the Isles are allowing an average of one PP goal per game.

Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Mathew Barzal give the Islanders a commanding 2-0 lead before the game's first ten minutes elapse.  Three and a half minutes into the second Evgeny Kuznetsov gets Washington on the scoreboard.  At 3:46 Mathew Barzal gets whistled for holding; it's one of five PP opportunities this game afforded to the Caps.  One minute forty-three seconds later Alex Ovechkin ties the game at two.  Early in the third Ovechkin gives the Capitals a 3-2 lead and ultimate margin of victory.

Therefore, it bares repeating: stay out of the box or score more on the power play.

Otherwise, the Islanders continue handling the Capitals they way they've been all series.  They continue to win the face-off battle.  At center Mathew Barzal and Jean-Gabriel Pageau account for nine shots on goal, only this time Washington outshoots the Islanders by a 29-26 margin.  It's the Caps most shots on goal all series.  Moreover, it's the most shots on goal in one game by either Florida or Washington.  Previously the Panthers twice achieve 28 SOGs in a game.  Previously Washington's best effort comes in game two with 25 shots on goal.  In turn this marks the first time New York is held under 30 SOG's all series, and only the third time since entering the bubble.