Game Recap: Capitals 4, Islanders 1

Barry Trotz got his Stanley Cup ring before Monday's game and some closure on his time as the Washington Capitals head coach.
What he didn't get was some revenge against his former team, as the Islanders fell to the Capitals 4-1 at Barclays Center.
Valtteri Filppula scored for the Islanders, but the Capitals got a pair of goals from Tom Wilson, the eventual winner from Nic Dowd and an empty-netter from Alex Ovechkin. The loss snapped the Islanders two-game winning streak and dropped the Isles to 9-2-0 vs the Metropolitan Division.
"They had opportunities, we had opportunities and power plays where we had to take control of the game and we weren't able to get that done," Head Coach Barry Trotz said. "That's what champions do. They find ways to get it done. And we will get there."

Video: WSH@NYI: Filppula scores 36 seconds in the game

ISLES OPEN THE SCORING EARLY:

For the second straight game, Valtteri Filppula scored on the Islanders first shot of the game. This one came early, as Filppula beat Braden Holtby (32 saves) with a backhand 36 seconds into the first period. The goal was Filppula's seventh of the season, which ties him with Anders Lee and Josh Bailey for second on the Isles goal list.
Washington answered quickly, with Tom Wilson beating Thomas Greiss (20 saves) off the rush to make it 1-1 at 2:50. The Capitals out-attempted the Islanders 24-14 in the first period, with a handful of Islanders saying they gave the defending Stanley Cup champions too much respect at points.
"We were a little tentative to start, we gave them a lot of respect and too much space," Islanders captain Anders Lee said. "After we scored first, good response by them."

CAPS TAKE LEAD IN THE SECOND:

The Isles had a pair of golden chances to take a lead early in the second period, but Matt Niskanen and Dmitry Orlov each pulled a puck off the goal line to preserve the 1-1 deadlock. That could have been the difference, but instead the Capitals took the lead with Nic Dowd sniping over Greiss' shoulder on the Caps second shot of the period at 7:58.
The Islanders had outshot the Capitals 8-0 to start the middle frame - and 10-3 overall in the period - but the shooting advantage was ultimately nullified.

ISLES LOSE SPECIAL TEAMS BATTLE:

Monday's game eventually came down to special teams. The Islanders power play went 0-for-4, while Capitals went 1-for-2, with Wilson serving the decisive blow at 14:21 of the third period.
"In the second and third we had our chances, we had our power plays, a couple of them were good and a couple of them were awful," Lee said. "They got a big power-play goal."
The Isles have now gone five straight games without a power-play goal.

MARTIN RETURNS:

Matt Martin returned to the Islanders lineup on Monday after missing 10 games with an upper-body injury. Martin played 8:49 on a line with Tanner Fritz and Cal Clutterbuck, recording a game-high eight hits.
"I felt pretty good," Martin said. "First few shifts feels a little fast when you're out as long as I was, but settled in nicely."

NEXT GAME:

After playing four games in six nights, the Islanders have two days off before taking on the Boston Bruins on Thursday night.