3 Takeaways: Islanders Fall 5-1 to Capitals

The New York Islanders' three-game winning streak came to an end as they dropped a 3-1 decision to the Washington Capitals on Saturday night at UBS Arena.
The Islanders opened the scoring in the first period, but then gave up five unanswered goals as the Capitals (71 points) tightened the gap to five points back of the Islanders (76 points) in the standings with a game in-hand. These two teams will cross paths twice more in the regular season, both in the District on Mar. 29 and Apr. 10.

Pierre Engvall scored the lone goal for the Islanders, while Dylan Strome (1G, 1A), T.J. Oshie, Anthony Mantha (1G, 1A), Nic Dowd and Nicklas Backstrom scored for the Capitals. Rasmus Sandin had a three-point night with a trio of helpers.
In the process, the Capitals snapped their two-game winless skid, while the Islanders fell to a record of 2-4-3 in their last nine games against Washington.
Semyon Varlamov stopped 22-of-27 shots in the loss, while Darcy Kuemper stopped 17-of-18 shots in the win.
The Islanders dropped to second in the wild card standings, as the Pittsburgh Penguins (76 points) won 5-1 against the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday afternoon, leapfrogging the Islanders in the standings and obtaining possession of the first wild card spot. Pittsburgh has three games in-hand.

OFFENSE STRUGGLES TO GENERATE

The Islanders struggled to generate shots throughout the night, only managing to test Kuemper with 18 shots, which is tied for the third lowest recorded shots on goal for the season.
The Isles started the game on a good note, but their offense dried up after scoring the opening goal. The matchup was peppered with penalties, and on a night where the even strength guns weren't firing, the Islanders weren't able to score with five power play opportunities.
CAPITALS 5, ISLANDERS 1
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Postgame: Lambert

KINGER'S CALLS
Engvall's First as an Islander
After Dylan Strome evened the score at one apiece at 6:41 in the first period, all the momentum shifted to Washington. The Capitals took the lead in the final minute of the opening frame, T.J Oshie tipped it in past Varlamov for his 17th goal of the season, which held up as the game winner. A scoreless middle frame saw two holding penalties for both clubs, with neither team capitalizing with the man advantage. The Islanders held strong through all four penalty kills, which was a bright spot on the evening.
"We took a couple of penalties in the middle frame when we were trying to come back from a one-goal lead," Matt Martin said. "Even though we killed them off, it kills the momentum. We were just a little off tonight for whatever reason."
Despite a recent trend of strong third period performances, the Islanders couldn't follow cadence against the Capitals. New York allowed three goals in the final frame and only put up six total shots in the closing 20-minute effort.
Anthony Mantha scored just as a Capitals power play expired to make it 3-1, but the backbreaker came in the form of Nic Dowd and Nicklas Backstrom's goals 61 seconds apart. Dowd scored with a wrister from the high slot, while Backstrom tipped a Sandin point shot. The Islanders five goals against marked their most since allowing six against Boston on Feb. 18. The three third period goals followed a stretch where they'd only allowed one in the previous 10 games.
"I don't think we got to the net really good enough," Head Coach Lane Lambert said. "We had 39 shot attempts that were blocked or missed, plus I thought we passed up a few chances."

ENGVALL SCORES FIRST AS AN ISLANDER

Pierre Engvall is looking more and more comfortable with his new team, scoring his first goal four games into his tenure on Long Island.
In the trade with Toronto, Engvall was sought after for his speed, as the 26-year-old winger played to his strength in the opening goal for the Islanders.
On a delayed penalty drawn by Hudson Fasching, Engvall wasted no time, using his signature speed to gain control of the puck and enter the neutral zone. Driving to the net, Engvall attempted a pass to Josh Bailey, which deflected in off defenseman Alexander Alexeyev.
"He's just playing the way he's always played it uses the speed really well," Anders Lee said of Engvall. "He can drive play and get the puck down low and he sees the ice pretty good."
The Islanders' newest acquisition recorded a takeaway, three attempted shots (one on goal, one attempted, one missed) and skated 13:24 to follow up Thursday's 8:23 TOI.

CLUTTERBUCK RETURNS

Cal Clutterbuck was activated off the team's IR list ahead of Saturday's matchup after missing 20 games with an upper-body injury. He was slotted into a line with Pierre Engvall and Josh Bailey, who centered the line. Clutterbuck skated 12:36 and finished the night with four attempted shots (one blocked, three missed).
"Everyone knows Clutter's presence," Lee said. "His physicality and leadership on the bench... he brings his energy every night."
Clutterbuck picked up where he left off in his physicality, recording four hits, which tied Matt Martin for the team high.
"Luckily I've been able to get back out there and jump back in," Clutterbuck said of his first game back from injury. "I try to use my instincts as much as I can."
The 35-year-old winger has eight points (4G, 4A) through 35 games played this season.

NEXT GAME:

The Islanders head to California for a three-game road trip starting on Tuesday night vs LA. Puck drop is at 10:30 p.m. et.