POSTGAME NOTEBOOK: Caps 2, Isles 0

Old Familiar Steam - As co-denizens of the temporarily drawn East Division last season, the Caps and the New York Islanders saw quite a bit of one another last season. The two former Patrick Division rivals faced off eight times in 2020-21, with the Caps winning six of those meetings. The Caps and the Isles had five of those meetings in the month of April last season, and three of them ended with 1-0 final scores.

Washington and New York didn't face one another for the first time this season until Saturday afternoon in New York when the Caps made their first visit to the Isles' new home, UBS Arena. For most of the afternoon, it looked as though the two teams might play yet another 1-0 game, which would have been their fourth in a span of five meetings.
Alex Ovechkin's empty-net goal with 10.2 seconds left ended Washington's lengthy one-goal lead over the Isles, sending Washington home with a 2-0 victory and halting its losing slide at four games (0-2-2).
Making his first start in nearly four weeks, Vitek Vanecek was sharp in the Washington nets. He made 23 saves to record his third career shutout, and his second against the Islanders.
The Caps held that 1-0 lead for more than 55 minutes after Tom Wilson staked them to a 1-0 lead at 4:35 of the first. Washington was strong defensively in front of Vanecek, particularly in the third period when it registered nine of its 11 blocked shots on the afternoon. Four of those blocks came in the final two minutes of the game when the Isles were pressing for the equalizer with New York netminder Semyon Varlamov off for an extra attacker.
With 10.2 seconds remaining, Alex Ovechkin netted his 25th goal of the season into the vacant net, sealing the third shutout of Vanecek's career, and his second against the Islanders.
"I thought Vitek was really good," says Caps coach Peter Laviolette. "He's had some good practice days to get back into a rhythm. It wasn't real busy, and sometimes those are the tougher games to stay into just because the action's not as heavy. But when we did need some saves, I thought he was excellent. He looked focused to me and he looked like he was on point."
Three From The Road - For the sixth time in franchise history, the Caps have had three different netminders notch a shutout this season. But with Vanecek's blank sheet against the Islanders in New York on Saturday, the Caps have also had three different goaltenders pitch road shutouts in the same season for the first time in franchise history.
Ilya Samsonov authored the Caps' first whitewash of the season - and the only one at home thus far - against Arizona on Oct. 29, and he had two more shutouts in consecutive starts on the road in November. Zach Fucale shutout the Red Wings in Detroit on Nov. 11, and Vanecek recorded his first shutout of the season in New York on Saturday.
This season marks the first time in a decade that the Caps have had shutouts from three different goaltenders. In 2011-12, Braden Holtby, Michal Neuvirth and Tomas Vokoun had them. In 2010-11, it was Holtby, Neuvirth and Semyon Varlamov, who was the losing goaltender on Saturday in New York.
Going way back to 1988-89, the Caps got shutouts from Don Beaupre, Clint Malarchuk and Pete Peeters. In 1984-85, Al Jensen, Bob Mason and Pat Riggin turned the trick, and in 1980-81, it was the trio of Mike Palmateer, Dave Parro and Wayne Stephenson that achieved the feat for the first time in franchise history.
First Blood - Wilson's goal marked the 27th time in 38 games that Washington has scored the game's first goal, and that leads the NHL. Wilson and Ovechkin have each supplied the game's first goal on four occasions this season, tied for 10th most in the NHL this season.
The Caps have had 16 different players score the game's first goal this season.
Great Eight Update - Ovechkin has now scored 25 goals for the 16th time in his NHL career. The only time he fell short of that mark was last season when he netted 24 goals in 45 games. He needed only 38 games this season to get to the 25-goal plateau.
Only three players in NHL history have registered more than 16 seasons with 25 or more goals: Gordie Howe (20 seasons), Jaromir Jagr (18) and Mike Gartner (17).
Climbing The Ladder - Former Caps defenseman Zdeno Chara suited up for his 1,635th career NHL contest on Saturday, tying him with ex-Capital Scott Stevens for 10th place on the NHL's all-time games played ledger. Chris Chelios (1,651) is now the only defenseman ahead of Chara on that list.
If he can remain healthy and in the lineup the rest of the way this season, Chara has some upward mobility on that list. Just 18 more games would move him ahead of Stevens, Dave Andreychuk (1,639), Chelios and Mark Recchi (1,652) and into seventh place all-time. Sixth place is a moving target, currently held by Florida's Joe Thornton (1,701).
Down On The Farm - The AHL Hershey Bears were at home on Saturday night, hosting the Toronto Marlies at Giant Center. The Bears dropped a 4-3 decision to the Marlies in overtime.
At 16:39 of the first period, Axel Jonsson-Fjallby netted a shorthanded goal - his 10th goal of the season - to stake the Bears to a 1-0 lead. Lucas Johansen and Brian Pinho collected the assists on that opening salvo.
Soon after the Marlies evened the score early in the second, Garrett Pilon restored the Hershey lead with another special teams strike, this one on the power play at 7:12 of the middle period. Jonsson-Fjallby and Cody Franson assisted on Pilon's 12th goal of the season.
The two teams headed into the third with the score square at 2-2, but the Marlies forged their first lead of the night in the first minute of the third. Hershey's Tobias Geisser knotted it up again at 7:10 of the third, his second goal of the season making it a 3-3 game with help from Joe Snively and Pilon.
Toronto won it on an Alex Steeves goal at 1:21 of overtime. Zach Fucale (6-2-3) stopped 18 of 22 shots in a losing effort.
The 18-10-3-2 Bears are back in action on Sunday afternoon, facing the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins at Mohegan Sun Arena.
By The Numbers - John Carlson led Washington with 23:48 in ice time … Lars Eller led the Caps with five shots on net … Carlson led the Caps with six shot attempts … Martin Fehervary led the Capitals with five hits … Carlson led Washington with three blocked shots … Evgeny Kuznetsov won six of nine face-offs (67 percent).