New York Islanders 3, Washington Capitals 1: Jaroslav Halak saves day (Highlights)
Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Jaroslav Halak’s 31 saves and a resurrected penalty kill helped the Islanders to a 3-1 win over the Washington Capitals.

  • New York Islanders (17-10-3, 37 points) 3
  • Washington Capitals (18-12-1, 35 points) 1
  • NYI Goals: Brock Nelson (9), Andrew Ladd (8), John Tavares (18)
  • WSH Goals: Dimitry Orlov (3)
  • NHL, Final, Box Score

The New York Islanders ended a three-game losing streak with a 3-1 win over a Metropolitan division opponent. Big credit to goaltender Jaroslav Halak, who made 31 saves in the win and the penalty kill went 3/3.

Recap

Breaking Isles news: Brock Nelson has three goals in his last five games, and it came from picking up Cal Clutterbuck’s rebound with a slick deke to beat Braden Holtby.

The goal would hold through the first period and after 10 Islander shots. To start the second, Andrew Ladd took a pass from Calvin de Haan and slipped it right past Holtby in the first minute and it was 2-0 Islanders.

Fifty-eight seconds later, it’s the captain John Tavares coming through after a major scramble in front of the Washington net.

Braden Holtby’s night was over, and Philip Grubauer entered (to eventually stop all 17 Islander shots).

The scoring was done for the Islanders, and Halak was razor sharp through the rest of the period withstanding a late-game flurry from the Caps.

Skid Snapped

For probably the first time this season, the Islanders played a full, complete game. Knowing they needed to shake the bad voodoo off from a 1-2-1 road trip, they recognized the importance of a quick goal.

Nelson continues heating up, scoring three goals in the last five games. With every member of the top line already at 30 points each, and Mathew Barzal leading the charge for the second line, it’s been time for the third line to produce some offense.

More importantly, however, the Islanders were able to hold the opposition off to one goal for just the second time this season. Not to mention a much more coordinated penalty kill going 3-for-3 tonight.

The good news for the Islanders is that six of their next seven games will be at the Barclays Center, with a trip to Columbus scheduled for the tail-end of a back-to-back this Thursday.

The Islanders are back at it on Wednesday, facing the Dallas Stars who held the New York Rangers to a point in a 2-1 shootout.

Grew up a diehard Islanders and Mets fan based out of Northern New Jersey. Concluding my Broadcast Communications degree at William Paterson University. WP Sportsdesk member, Stan Fischler correspondent, music buff and total Star Wars freak. Follow my social media handles to learn more. Matt Di Giacomo is a Staff Writer for the Islanders on Elite Sports NY. He encourages team discussion. Tweet him @mdigiacESNY and check out his reviews on YouTube.