N.Y. Islanders: Capitals Claim the High Ground

From the desk: THE LONG ISLAND NOMADS

WEDNESDAY

Capitals   1

Islanders  0

FINAL/SO

Swing and a Miss..!

Washington draws first blood, but it was like extracting water from a rock.  The teams may have well played this game in sand.  All that skating around got the Islanders and Capitals nowhere.  Sixty minutes of regulation time hockey and no goals in an otherwise evenly contested game.  With all things being relatively equal, the teams dueled through a scoreless overtime session as well.  

Into shootout, they went ...

Semyon Varlamov made a nifty save against T.J. Oshie.  Anthony Beauvillier cashed in at the other end against Ilya Samsonov, but Nicklas Backstrom answered.  Next up, Brock Nelson inexplicably missed wide left ( I mean wide..).  After which, Evgeny Kuznetsov ended it.  

Washington wins rights to the second point.  They finish the night with 64 points.  The Islanders, with 63 points, fall into a tie with the Penguins, who dismantled the Devils. 

No!  Washington's usual starter Vitek Vanecek did not play.  

Ilya Samsonov entered the game with a .904 SV% and 2.79 GAA through 17 appearances.  He previously allowed the Islanders six goals in a game he started back on April Fool's Day.  This time, the joke was on Long Island.  He faced 26 shots on goal and stopped them all, including 24 at even strength.  But the best save he didn't need to make came against Brock Nelson!

One cannot begrudge Semyon Varlamov.  He faced 28 shots on goal, including three on special teams.

Ironically, the last time these teams met, Brock Nelson scored the game's only goal at 13:05 of the third period.

Expect more of the same this coming Saturday, including the Isles continuing plight on the power play.