Capitals play spoiler, sprint past Islanders to snap skid

Capitals play spoiler, sprint past Islanders to snap skid originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

WASHINGTON — Sixty-three seconds was all it took Monday for the Capitals to jump out to a multi-goal lead over the New York Islanders as they rolled to a 5-2 victory that put their Metropolitan Division rival’s playoff chances in serious jeopardy.

Winless in each of their last six games heading into the contest, the Capitals were forced to dress just 17 skaters for the third-straight game with Alex Ovechkin, T.J. Oshie, Anthony Mantha, Trevor van Riemsdyk and Nic Dowd all out due to injury. Even without those names, they handled the Islanders by getting off to one of their best starts of the season.

Dylan Strome got the scoring started on the first shift of the game, finding some space in the right circle and scoring a wrister past New York goaltender Ilya Sorokin's short side for his 22nd tally of the season. That goal tied Strome’s career high for a single season before he added an empty netter late in the third to set a new personal best. It also extended his streak of consecutive games lighting the lamp up to four.

One shift later, the Capitals’ second line scored right off the draw. Craig Smith found Rasmus Sandin along the glass and the defenseman snuck the puck through a sliver of an opening to make it 2-0.

According to NHL Stats, Strome and Sandin combined for the fifth-fastest two goals to start a game in franchise history and the fastest since Ovechkin and Oshie did it in 46 to open a game against the Montreal Canadiens on Oct. 7, 2017.

After Smith made it 3-0 with a point-blank shot from right in front late in the first period, the Capitals held on from there behind some stellar play by netminder Darcy Kuemper. The 32-year-old stopped 38 of 40 shots he faced and helped kill three penalties, coming within five minutes of his sixth shutout of the season before the Islanders’ offense started to wake up.

Right wing Hudson Fasching scored with 5:08 remaining to cut into the Capitals’ lead and Casey Cizikas put one in with the Sorokin pulled, but empty netters by Strome and Tom Wilson put the game away.

The loss was devastating one for New York (91 points), which has just one game left on its regular-season schedule to make up ground on the Florida Panthers (92) for the top Wild Card spot while the Pittsburgh Penguins (90) sit right behind them with two games to go. The Capitals have had the Islanders’ number this season finishing 3-0-1 against them.

Washington, which improved to 35-36-9 with the win, will be right back in action Tuesday for a bout with the Boston Bruins before hosting the New Jersey Devils on Thursday in its season finale.