WASHINGTON (AP) — Ryan Pulock, Simon Holmstrom and Brock Nelson scored on three of the Islanders’ first five shots and New York beat the Washington Capitals 3-0 Thursday night.
Semyon Varlamov stopped all 32 shots he faced for his second shutout of the season and 22nd of his NHL career. The 2006 first-round pick of the Capitals fared much better than current Washington No. 1 goaltender Darcy Kuemper, who made most of his 18 saves after the game got out of hand.
Jump-started by Pulock’s goal 22 seconds in and behind two points from Nelson, the Islanders won for the third time in four games and ended the Capitals’ winning streak at three.
They lost their first game without longtime center Nicklas Backstrom, who took a leave of absence in the midst of an ongoing injury to his surgically repaired left hip. Washington was shut out for the second time in nine games this season after a would-be goal by T.J. Oshie in the third period was wiped out by New York’s successful coach’s challenge for goalie interference.
Trailing Wayne Gretzky’s career goals record by 70, Alex Ovechkin has two this season and has yet to score at even strength.
Islanders defenseman Adam Pelech left midway through the first period holding his left side/back after a collision with Washington’s Aliaksei Protas. He did not return.
Defenseman Scott Mayfield was in the Islanders lineup for the first time since the season opener after missing the past seven games with a lower-body injury
Oshie wore a neck guard, becoming one of the first NHL players to add the extra protection since American Adam Johnson died after taking a skate blade to the neck in a game in England last weekend.
UP NEXT
Islanders: Return home to face the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday.
Capitals: Host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday.
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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL
