5 Takeaways: Islanders Lose 1-0 in Shootout to Capitals

The New York Islanders picked up a point, but couldn't secure a second on Thursday night, falling 1-0 in a shootout to the Washington Capitals at Nassau Coliseum.
Semyon Varlamov (28 saves) and Ilya Samsonov (26 saves) each recorded shutouts in a goaltender's duel, with Evgeny Kuznetsov scoring the game-deciding goal in the third round of the shootout.

The overtime loss kicked off the first of three-straight meetings between two of the top teams in the East Division, as they jockey for first place. With a win, the Capitals (64 points), have a one-point lead on the Islanders (63 points), who dropped to third place after getting leapfrogged by the Pittsburgh Penguins (63 points), who hold the ROW tiebreaker.
Here are five takeaways from a shootout loss:

ISLES AND CAPS PLAY PLAYOFF STYLE CHESS MATCH:

For the second-straight game, the Islanders and Capitals played to a 1-0 final. It was a sharp contrast to the high-scoring affairs that characterized the earlier part of the season, and crested with an 8-4 game on April 1, but the team's familiarity with each other showed, as did a turn towards playoff-style hockey. The Islanders blocked 17 shots in the OT loss.
"It was a playoff game," Nick Leddy said. "Both teams played well defensively and it goes back to both goalies playing very well and shutting the door on both sides."
Much like the April 6 meeting, it wasn't for a lack of trying, as the Islanders came out swinging in the first period, outshooting the Capitals 15-4 in the opening frame. Samsonov was the difference, denying Kyle Palmieri, who kept and shot on a two-on-one, and stoned Mathew Barzal on a breakaway late in the period.
ISLANDERS VS CAPITALS
ISLANDERS ARTICLES
Gamecenter
ISLANDERS CAPITALS VIDEO
Full Highlights
The Capitals found their legs in the second period, outshooting the Islanders 14-7 in the middle frame, cycling the puck and generating extended looks in the Islanders' zone. That carried into the third period, with Washington outshooting the Isles 9-3, and again cycling at even strength. Varlamov was at his best late, picking up pucks through traffic and getting the game to overtime.
The Islanders', who were limited to one even-strength shot in the third, best chance to break the game open came on a pair of quick power plays, but could only generate a pair of shots on the man advantages.
The Islanders controlled possession in the overtime, but played a relatively conservative three-on-three session. The Capitals lone chance came on a two-on-one rush in the final 75 seconds, but Ryan Pulock laid out to disrupt Dmitry Orlov's feed for Nicklas Backstrom.
Anthony Beauvillier scored the lone Islanders goal in the bonus round, while Backstrom and Kuznetsov each lit the lamp for the Capitals.
"It was a weird game with power plays and PKs," Beauvillier said. "It was just a playoff game and just the playoff mentality we had and they had. [There was] not a lot of space out there. I thought we played well and they played well. It just comes down to a shootout loss for us."
Thursday marked the second time in four games the Islanders were shut out and the sixth time in 10 games the Islanders were held to one goal or fewer.

BATTLE OF THE EAST:

The Isles-Caps trilogy was billed as a battle for the top of the East Division, but Thursday's OT loss dropped the Islanders (63 points, 25 ROW) down to the third, as they were leapfrogged by Pittsburgh (63 points, 27 ROW), who picked up a 5-1 win over New Jersey.
The single point earned by the Islanders was a big one as the standings continue to tighten and a rarity in the Islanders-Capitals matchup, as Thursday marked the first Isles-Caps regular season game to go to OT since April 5, 2016.
Home ice could be crucial for the Islanders in the playoffs, as they own a 19-2-3 record at the Coliseum, compared to a 10-11-2 road record. Thursday also marked the first road win of the season series for the Islanders and Caps.

VARLAMOV RECORDS FIFTH SHUTOUT:

Despite being saddled with an overtime loss, Varlamov recorded his fifth shutout of the season on Thursday night, matching the career-high he set in 2014-15.
Varlamov's 28-save shutout was his second straight over the Capitals, but the goaltender said it was an empty feeling not being able to take home a W.
"It's all about winning for me," Varlamov said. "I'd rather win 2-1, or 6-5 than lose like that. It's all about winning for me for this team… It's good for the stats, but after the game you go home and you lost the game."
Varlamov's shutout puts the Islanders up to a league-leading eight this season. The franchise record is 11, set during the 2018-19 season.

#

PK STRONG AGAIN FOR ISLANDERS:

The Islanders penalty kill went toe-to-toe with the NHL's top-ranked power play on Thursday night, going 3-or-3 against a dangerous Capitals squad.
The Isles PK - which entered the game with an NHL-leading 90.4% kill rate at home - held the Caps to two shots on goal over the three power plays. With the three kills, the Islanders have killed 23 of their last 24 penalties.
"They're buying into [preparation]," Trotz said. "When all else fails they're committed to having to chew on a shot when it breaks down. They've done their homework and they're getting rewarded for it. But there's a lot of commitment by a lot of guys. When everything else fails, you've got to have good goaltending and we've been fortunate in that aspect as well."
While the PK was solid, the power play had a hard time finding its rhythm, going 0-for-2 on a pair of consecutive power plays in the third period. The power play generated two shots, while giving up a shorthanded chance to the Capitals.

CLUTTERBUCK IN, ZAJAC OUT:

Cal Clutterbuck returned to the lineup after missing three games. The veteran winger returned to his usual spot alongside Matt Martin and Casey Cizikas. Clutterbuck played 13:02 TOI, including 3:00 shorthanded.
Travis Zajac came out of the lineup to accommodate Clutterbuck's return. Zajac had two points in seven games since being acquired from the New Jersey Devils. Trotz cited wanting to keep Leo Komarov alongside Barzal and Eberle as part of his decision, and said Zajac has a team-first mentality.
"That's part of having a good lineup, you have to make some choices sometimes that are a little tonight," Trotz said. "But if you're going to go far, you're going to need some depth."

NEXT GAME:

The Islanders and Capitals meet for the second of three-straight games on Saturday night at Nassau Coliseum. Puck drop is at 7 p.m.