Capitals 5, Islanders 4 (OT): The song remains the same

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Facing a tough Washington Capitals squad in D.C., the New York Islanders took another lead — a multi-goal lead — into the third period only to blow it and end with the loss.

It’s what they do.

The Islanders’ two-goal lead did not survive eight minutes of the third period. It then took 1:20 of overtime to put the inevitable exclamation point on the night.

The slimmest of consolation in the 5-4 loss is that at least this time they went back to getting it to extra time to secure a regulation point before letting the opponent take the bonus point.

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It was a post-Thanksgiving afternoon start, but it was not a lethargic first period: eventful at both ends, with two minor penalties each, and the teams combined for 25 shots that reached goal, a 13-12 edge to the Islanders.

Simon Holmstrom opened scoring at 3:36, using his reach and wrister to pick a top corner around a screen.

But Nic Dowd tied it barely over a minute later, and after Max Tsyplakov took a puck-over-the-glass penalty, dirty weasel Tom Wilson gave the Caps a lead on their first power play.

After wasting two power plays of their own, the Islanders did miraculously kill off a Pierre Engvall penalty to finish the period.

Second Period

Anders Lee got the game tied 1:15 into the second period, on a wonderful redirection of Noah Dobson’s point shot.

There was what would normally be seen as a pivotal turn of events late in the second, if this weren’t the Islanders. Back in business, they were, and it was anyone’s game to blow.

The Great NHL Goalie Interference Mystery continued as a John Carlson shot on a delayed penalty gave the Capitals a 3-2 lead that was challenged…and overturned.

Was Hendrix Lapierre in the crease? Absolutely. Had his in-crease position briefly interfered with Sorokin’s ability to position himself? Definitely. Was there a moment between that and when the shot came in from a different direction? Yes, but apparently not enough to prevent interference being awarded on video review. It was similar to the last goalie interference challenge the Isles made which was rejected, but just subtly different enough where you could see maybe the league is threading a needle here with what is and what isn’t bad.

Or you could totally see Toronto just deciding the Isles were jobbed last time, we can’t job them again so soon afterward.

Anyway, the Islanders killed that penalty and then scored a go-ahead goal just 23 seconds after Alex Romanov came out of the box. Kyle MacLean converted his first goal of the season off a nice feed from Bo Horvat.

Less than two minutes later, the Isles doubled their lead when Simon Holmstrom tipped a Dennis Cholowski volley from the point, a very similar look to the goal Anders Lee scored to open the period.

So the Isles won the period, 3-0, and took a two-goal lead into the third period…their kiss of death.

Third Period

Yep. After the Capitals coaches let the refs hear it about the goalie interference challenge before the period, Anders Lee was conveniently penalized on the opening faceoff with an iffy but callable hook.

Naturally, the Capitals scored on the ensuing power play, Strome The Greater allowed to walk into the slot and fire it top corner.

Six minutes later, with Caps momentum building, they tied it at 7:24. With the Capitals sustaining an extended shift of pressure in the Isles’ zone, the Isles failed on two chances to clear — the critical one with Noah Dobson sending a weak outlet that was intercepted at the blueline. Worse, Isaiah George’s stick had broken or been lost behind the net, so he was weaponless. The Caps then zigged and zagged the puck every which way around the zone, setting up Wilson for an easy, wide-open one-timer to tie it at 4-4.

Here we were again, in accordance with our infinite doom loop.

Looking for signs of life: Oliver Wahlstrom had a breakaway from the Caps blueline with a little over 11 minutes left, but he was out of gas and had his stick lifted right before he would’ve gotten a shot off. And the Brock Nelson line continued to be dangerous and create stretches of sustained zone time.

With five minutes left, the game was settling into a careful, play-for-regulation mode — the Caps apparently didn’t realize they’ve nothing to fear — but Dowd took a penalty to give the Islanders “power” play a late opportunity. Nothing happened.

Overtime

As the Capitals regrouped to get fresh legs on, one of those pairs of legs, Jakob Chychrun built up a head of speed in his own zone, sped through the middle and put a shot from the high slot past Dobson and inside the post on Semyon Varlamov.

Quote of the Night

“You have to communicate.”

>>Butch Goring, at various points, observing the Isles’ foibles

Up Next

The Isles return home to face the Sabres Saturday evening. J-G Pageau skated in warmups but then was a late scratch, so he could be a doubt for that one, too.