Bring More Twigs

It was Game#2 in the Nation's Capital. After a thoroughly dominating win by the Islanders in the series opener, the Washington Capitals looked to get a better start on Friday night. It was certainly too early to say that the game was a “Must Win” for the Caps, but a loss would have put them in a huge hole. If the Islanders were able to steal another game and go up 2-0 going back to a raucous and rowdy Nassau Coliseum on Sunday, they would had a legitimate shot at a series sweep. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. There was plenty of work to do first.
In the morning, eyes were opened in Washington when the club announced that it called up an extra goalie on an emergency basis. Apparently, Caps goalie Braden Holtby was feeling under the weather and was going to be a game time decision. There was a report later on in the day that Holby was going to be the starter, but half an hour before puck drop the news broke that Holtby would not go.

That meant that Philipp Grubauer would make his first Stanley Cup post season appearance. It also would be his 21st career NHL game and only his second game of the season. Grubauer's career numbers for the Capitals were 7-6-5, 2.44 GAA, .924 Save Pct. The more interesting note was that he was the first ever German-born goaltender to get a start in the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs. As far as the Islanders went it was the same cast of characters with Jaroslav Halak in net.

The Capitals definitely came out of the gate with more energy and cycled in the Islanders zone. After the game settled a little bit, the Islanders got a two on one break after Washington over-skated the puck. Martin fed Cal Clutterbuck who came down on the left wing and he wristed the puck over Grubauer's left shoulder and into the corner of the net for a 1-0 lead. It was Clutterbuck's first post-season goal. Leddy got the second assist. The one telling stat in the first period was blocked shots with the Islanders having 15 vs. the Capitals who did not have even one.

In the second period, the Islanders used the same script as in the first. Just a couple of minutes in, it was the ole housemates John Tavares and Ryan Strome that got together once again. It started with Lubomir Visnovsky getting the puck to Tavares behind the net. Tavares, working in his office, then fed Strome in the slot who slapped one past Grubauer for a 2-0 lead. It was Strome's 2nd of the playoffs in his second game. The Islanders settled in and gained controlled the game until sticks started breaking.

The first stick that broke belonged to Matt Martin, which gave Washington extended zone time. It was just a matter of time before the Islanders wore down. Karl Alzner's lobbied a one timer that Halak could not veto mid-way through the period to get the Capitals on the board. Soon thereafter, the Islanders got their two goal lead back when Kyle Okposo toe-dragged the puck and then went high over Grubauer's shoulder to make it 3-1. Josh Bailey and Calvin deHaan had the assists. Their second two goal lead of the period turned the Verizon Center crowd into a silent majority.

The second stick that broke belonged to Kyle Okposo, which gave Washington another defacto power play. Again, the Islanders were worn down. Matt Niskanen then took a shot from inside the Beltway that Halak stopped, but the Great 8 was there to whip it in the net. Ovechkin got the Capitals back to within one goal at 3-2. Two broken sticks and two goals. I have heard of bad puck luck, but this was getting to be ridiculous.

After the Capitals scored their second goal the momentum started to swing. That momentum carried into the third period when Ryan Strome went off for slashing a couple of minutes in. On the ensuing power play, Nicklas Backstrom brought the puck into the Islanders zone by his lonesome and fired a shot past Halak who looked like a lame duck to tie the game at three apiece. Just a few minutes later, Nick Leddy failed to clear the puck and Jason Chimera used his bully pulpit to follow-up his own rebound to give the Capitals their first lead of the series at 4-3. That would be the final score of the game.

For the first half of the game it looked like that the Islanders would escape Washington with a two game lead in the series. They actually did not play all that bad. The two broken sticks changed the momentum in the game and once it swung to the Capitals favor the Islanders could not get it back. That being said, Halak was not all that great and needs to step it up a notch back on Long Island.

The Islanders were given a gift at the start of the game when Holtby could not go. They should have capitalized and won a game against a minor league goalie. They should have applied more pressure than they did. But to be fair, the Capitals got lucky and were only able to pull the game out when the Islanders started breaking their twigs. The Capitals essentially scored three of their four goals with a man advantage.

Most would say that the Islanders should be happy going home with one win in the first two games. However, they had a tremendous opportunity to take control of the series and fell short. Now they go home to the Nassau Coliseum for a Sunday matinee at 12:00 PM. They need to continue the same level of play and take it to the Capitals and they should be fine. They just need to remember to bring extra twigs.