Cizikas, Varlamov lead Islanders to win
WASHINGTON — Casey Cizikas scored twice for the first time this season and Tom Kuhnhackl had the goahead goal and the New York Islanders earned a 43 victory over the Washington Capitals on Tuesday.
Former Capitals goalie Semyon Varlamov stopped 36 shots in the victory, helping former Washington coach Barry Trotz remain perfect in three return trips to D.C. since coaching them to the 2018 Stanley Cup.
Brock Nelson also scored in the first period for the Islanders, who won their second straight to close a threegame road trip.
Evgeny Kuznetsov scored his 14th and 15th goals for Washington, which lost consecutive games in regulation for the first time this season.
Tom Wilson also scored for the Capitals, and Braden Holtby made 18 saves.
After giving back an early 20 lead and then trailing after Kuznetsov’s second goal of the game, the Islanders retook the lead for good.
After a Capitals turnover, Matt Martin looked into the attacking zone. He found Cizikas, who rifled a shot over Holtby’s blocker side and inside the left post to tie it at 3all at 4:47 of the second period.
Kuhnhackl put the Islanders ahead a little more than eight minutes later, when he took Mathew Barzal’s pass from behind the goal line and sent his shot over Holt
by’s shoulder.
The Capitals had several promising opportunities to tie it late, but Varlamov made 18 saves in the third.
NOTES: The Islanders are 2212 this season when scoring at least three goals … Cizikas’ multigoal game was the fourth of his career . Kuznetsov’s first goal ended the Capitals’ scoreless stretch against the Islanders in Washington at 2 hours, 13 minutes and 51 seconds. … For Washington, Tom Wilson returned from a onegame layoff because of a lowerbody injury.
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Islanders: Host New Jersey on Thursday.