Capitals Win 3-1 to Take Hold of First Place in the East
The Washington Capitals matched up well with the New York Islanders who came in winning their last nine games. The Capitals themselves had one their last five, and now their last six games. After a strong push from the Islanders in the first, the Capitals responded in the second and pushed the Islanders under.
Ilya Samsonov was a monster in the crease during the first two periods. He allowed one goal and made 21 saves. Back-to-back strong performances in net for the Capitals. Right now, the Capitals are one of the hottest teams in the league thanks to the strong play from the young goaltenders.
T.J. Oshie grabbed the first goal of the game in the second period, his seventh on the year. Evgeny Kuznetsov and Alex Ovechkin recorded the assists on his goal. Ovechkin’s assist marked his 1,300th career point, becoming the 35th player in NHL history to reach the mark. Then, Ovi added a goal of his own on the power play to pass Phil Esposito for sole possession of 6th all-time.
Early in the third period, Nicklas Backstrom recorded his 12th of the year to put the Caps up 3-0. Backstrom and Ovechkin are tied with the team lead with 12 goals apiece. Backstrom only scored 12 goals total last season in 61 games, but has the same amount through 29 games this season.
The Capitals have been playing great, winning their last six games and are 10-1-0 in their last 11 games. With the win, the Caps move into first place in the Eastern division. They improve to 19-6-4 with 42 points and a .724 point percentage.
They will be back in action again on Friday (3/19) against the Rangers at Capital One Arena.
