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Isles handle Caps, continue hot play at Barclays
ISLANDERS 3 CAPITALS 1
There are a few theories that might have some truth to them, but nobody can quite figure out what, exactly, it is that makes the Islanders such a threat at Barclays Center this season.
“Maybe home cooking?” goalie Jaroslav Halak said. “Being with the family?
“Sleeping in your own bed, you’re eating dinners at home,” Andrew Ladd said. “That, for us, is obviously a comfort.”
They’re not complaining, though, especially after their latest win, 3-1 over the Capitals on Monday night in Brooklyn.
“We feel good playing in this building,” said Ladd, who scored his eighth goal of the year 36 seconds into the second period. “Sometimes you can’t put a finger on it, but when you have the record we’ve had at home, you gain confidence from that and expect to win.”
The Capitals entered Monday in second place in the Metropolitan Division, but the Islanders joined them there by the end of the night, picking up two points and improving to 9-1-2 at home this season.
Halak made 31 saves to kick off a busy home slate around the holidays for the Islanders, who play seven of eight at Barclays Center through Christmas.
“It’s nice to get a win to start this long haul of games,” coach Doug Weight said. “We’re going to be pretty busy, so it’s a big two points.”
Coming off a tough four-game trip, the Islanders didn’t take long to welcome themselves back home with an early lead courtesy of some slick passing.
Facing the boards with a defender behind him, Jason Chimera slid a backhanded pass to Cal Clutterbuck, who then got off a shot on net. It deflected off Capitals goalie Braden Holtby, but Brock Nelson was there on the other side of the net to scoop up the rebound, deke and calmly poke the puck into the back of the net to make it 1-0 at 2:36.
Anders Lee thought he made it a 2-0 lead later in the period, but the goal was waved off, even after further review. Lee’s initial pointblank shot got stuck under Holtby’s blocker pad, and after multiple attempts to jam it home, the puck finally crossed the line. Weight challenged the ruling, but the call stood because officials ruled Lee pushed Holtby’s pad to get the puck into the net.
A real 2-0 lead came in the open- ing minute of the second period when Calvin de Haan backhanded a cross-ice pass through the crease and Ladd one-timed it home.
Just 58 seconds later, the Islanders ended Holtby’s night. Josh Bailey found John Tavares open in front of the net, with Holtby out of position, and the captain made it 3-0 with an easy finish.
As the Islanders celebrated, Philipp Grubauer skated onto the ice to replace Holtby in net.
“Two goals back-to-back like that really put us in a good spot,” Tavares said. “It killed any life or momentum they had and just kept it going.”
The goal was Tavares’ 18th of the season, good for sole possession of third place in the league. The man who leads the NHL, Alex Ovechkin, was neutralized throughout the night as the Islanders handed the Capitals their first loss in five games. The Capitals put a late blemish on Halak’s strong night as Dmitry Orlov scored to ruin the shutout with 11:37 left in the game.
“I thought the first two periods we did a lot of good things,” Tavares said. “We carried the play.”
Just as they have so often through their first 12 games of the year at Barclays Center, hoping for more home cooking to come.
“You gotta make the most of it, but at the same time, you can’t count your chickens before they hatch,” Bailey said. “It’s still tough games that we have to win at home, but we’ve played well at home.”