4 Takeaways From Islanders’ 4-3 Overtime Loss vs Capitals

The New York Islanders looked poised to win their second game in a row, boasting a 3-0 lead in the second period. Then came the Alexander Ovechkin hit on Jean-Gabriel Pageau, sending him into the boards and out of the game for the rest of the period. Whether the hit was legal or not, it changed the game. The Washington Capitals scored three unanswered goals to send the game to overtime and then scored the game-winning goal to hand the Islanders another tough defeat.

The Islanders earned a point with the game going to overtime. However, the loss was a tough one for a team looking to remain competitive in the Metropolitan Division and the Eastern Conference. They’ve lost four of their last five games and are 1-1-2 on their current homestand, a stretch where they were looking to string together a few wins. Moreover, the Islanders’ loss was another collapse, one that mirrored the defeat against the Minnesota Wild where they allowed three goals in the final 10 minutes of the game to lose 3-1. They are struggling to close out games and unfortunately, they are starting to look like a team unworthy of making the playoffs.

Islanders Defensemen Fuel Offense

Sebastian Aho scored the first goal of the game with a shot from the point that zipped through the traffic and into the back of the net. It was his fourth goal of the season and 27th from the defensive unit, which scored only 32 goals last season. Aho has been a great puck-handling defenseman but isn’t known for his shot. However, with the Islanders needing a spark and the young defenseman finding an open shot from the blue line, he sent the puck to the net and it paid off.

To cap off the strong first period, Alexander Romanov took a shot from the point and the puck was re-directed by Matt Martin, giving the Islanders an early 2-0 lead. The forward unit has struggled in recent games with a handful of the best skaters on the team failing to find the back of the net. However, the defensive unit continues to add a spark to the offense with their playmaking abilities from the point.

Pageau’s Absence Dooms Islanders

The hit on Pageau and the subsequent aftermath caused the Islanders to lose a game that looked like it was going to be an easy victory. They had a three-goal lead but were playing without one of their best defensive forwards and a center that can control the pace of play. The…