Games
New York Islanders 4 - Washington Capitals 1
It took six minutes for the Islanders to strike first. A turnover in the neutral zone eventually lead to Brock Nelson receiving the puck (after a few passes). He stepped over the blue line and wrist one at the top of the faceoff circle, beating Braden Holtby glove. New York controlled most of the play in the period, but it was Washington who scored the next goal. About a minute left in the first, Brooks Laich coused a turnover and passed to Marcus Johansson, who beat Jaroslav Halak with a shot from the faceoff dot. The Islanders regained the lead minutes into the second. John Tavares would win a faceoff in the Capitals zone. Ryan Strome collected the puck and fired it past Holtby to make the game 2-1 Islanders. They extended the lead midway through the period, as the puck eventually bounced into the net after Josh Bailey had a couple of whacks at it. The Capitals looked to respond, but could not. Brock Nelson scored an empty netter to seal it, as New York won the first game of the series.
New York Islanders 3 - Washington Capitals 4
The Capitals looked to rebound after losing Game 1, but it was the Islander who once again started the scoring. Just over five minutes into the game, Cal Clutterbuck would keep the puck on a 2-on-1 and beat Holtby. The Capitals kept up the pressure, but to no avail, as the period ended with the Islanders up 1-0. That lead was extended early in the second. Strome one-timed a pass from Tavares past Holtby to put the Islanders up 2-0. Washington's efforts finally paid off midway though the period, as Karl Alzner's one-timer stuck past Halak. New York responded less than three minutes later, as Kyle Okposo roofed it over Holtby's shoulder to once again put the Islanders up by two. Washington answered back two minutes later. Matt Niskanen's shot was stopped, but Alexander Ovechkin was in the right spot to put home the rebound and pull the Capitals to within a goal. A powerplay opportunity early in the third was what Washington needed to tie the game. Nicklas Backstrom skated in between all four Islander skaters and snapped one past an unset Halak. Minutes later, the Capitals would finally take the lead. Jason Chimera's first shot was stopped, but the puck found its way back to him, when he managed to beat Halak with his second shot. The Islanders pressed for a tying goal, but could not find one. Washington won Game 2 to tie the series 1-1.
Washington Capitals 1 - New York Islanders 2 (OT)
New York controlled most of the first period, outshooting Washington 16-5 in the period, but the game remained scoreless. It wasn't until midway though the second when one team had an answer. Lubomir Visnovsky's shot was tipped by Okposo and found the back of the net, as the Islanders took a 1-0 lead. They kept control for most of the period, but could not find away to extend the lead. The Capitals searched for a tying goal in the third, and would find it in about fourteen minutes. Backstrom's shot beat multiple bodies (including Halak's) and found the back of the net. The game did go to overtime, but blink and you would miss it. Tavares ended the extra frame fifteen seconds in, as his shot squeezed by Holtby. The Islander's win once again put them in the series lead.
Washington Capitals 2 - New York Islanders 1 (OT)
The scoring came earlier in this game, and for once it was not the Islander's striking first. Just over thirteen minutes into the period, John Carlson's point shot would be deflected by Ovechkin and beat Halak, putting the Capitals in the lead. The Islanders managed to tie the game before the end of the period. Clutterbuck's shot from the slot was stopped, but Casey Cizikas was there to bury the rebound. Both goaltenders held up for the remainder of regulation, as once again these two teams needed overtime to solve a game. It took longer than last time, as the extra framed lasted just over eleven minutes. Backstrom skated to the point and released a wrist shot that beat a screened Halak, giving the Capitals the overtime win. Once again, a Washington win tied the series.
New York Islanders 1 - Washington Capitals 5
Last game seemed like an anomaly, as the Islanders went back to being first on the board. Just under six minutes in, Bailey's shot from the top of a faceoff circle found a top corner of net. The Capitals tied the game minutes later, as Evgeny Kuznetsov batted the puck into the net. Both teams exchanged chances, but it wasn't until the middle of the second when another goal was scored. Troy Brouwer would steal what looked like a covered puck by Halak, go around the net, and passed to Alzner, who finished the play off by putting it into the open net. Washington kept adding to their lead in the third. First was Brooks Laich, who put home a rebound two minutes into the period. Kuznetsov scored his second of the game minutes later, beating Halak with a nifty backhand move. Chimera capped off the scoring nine minutes into the final frame, as his shot squeezed past Halak. Washington held on to win the game, taking the series lead and pushing New York closer to elimination.
Washington Capitals 1 - New York Islanders 3
This may have been the last game at Nassau Coliseum, but the Islanders hoped this wasn't the last game of their playoffs. They started on the right foot, as Tavares opened the scoring seven minutes in to give New York the lead. Unfortunately, Tavares also contributed to Washington's tying goal, as he took a penalty late in the period. John Carlson scored on the ensuing powerplay, as his shot beat Halak. Things heated up in the second. Colin MacDonald and Mike Green would be called for coincidental roughing penalties. Just minutes later, Matt Martin and Michael Latta were called for the same thing. While their were penalties, goals were absent in the second period. It wasn't until halfway though the third when another one was scored. It started near the corner, as Ovechkin hit Tavares with a questionable hit from behind. The puck went to Nick Leddy along the wall, who quickly feed Kulemin in the slot. Kulemin wasted no time beating Holtby, as the Islanders once again took the lead in the game. The Capitals could not find an answer, as Halak shut the door the rest of the way. Clutterbuck added an empty net goal. While that was it for scoring, the action wasn't done. Both teams had a heated exchange at the end of the game, as they combined for 26 PIMs. Tempers would cool, as the Islanders ended up saluting the fans at Nassau for the last time. New York's win forced this series to go to a Game 7.
New York Islanders 1 - Washington Capitals 2
The deciding game of the series started pretty evenly, until later in the first period when Washington took over. It continued on into the second, as the Capitals put up shot attempt after shot attempt. Their efforts finally paid off late in the period. Brooks Orpik's point shot was stopped, but Joel Ward was in good position to poke the rebound past a downed Halak, giving Washington the lead. New York did manage to tie the game early in the third. Frans Nielsen's shot from the slot looked to have been saved by Holtby, but the puck managed to trickle by him and into the net. It remained tied for about ten minutes. Kuznetsov took the puck from the wall, cut across the slot, and outwaited Halak, roofing the puck into the open half of the net to give the Capitals the lead. A late penalty by Carlson gave the Islanders a shot at tying the game. That would not be the case, as the Capitals managed to hang on to the lead. The win gave Washington the series, as they eliminated New York in seven games.
Three Thoughts on the Series
- Congrats everyone on picking this series to go the distance.
- I guess it's "third times a charm" for the Caps when it comes to beating Halak in the playoffs.
- It is cool that the Islanders won their final game in Nassau Coliseum.
I know the "Stat Open?" and "Game 8" graphics are strong contenders, but this is just amazing.
 |
| (picture via Robert Soderlind) |
Highlight of the Series
Evgeny Kuznetsov's series winner was pretty nice.
No comments:
Post a Comment