Islanders Lose Heartbreaker to Capitals....agian

Alexander Ovechkin celebrates after his game-tying goal (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

          On a night where everything seemed to be going the Islanders way, the Capitals emerged as the victor, beating the Isles 5-4.
          The Isles had friendly bounces going their way, a working power play, a pair of three-goal leads and even a shootout, but came out of the game with a single point.  
          The loss is the Islanders fourth one in a row, as their chance for making the playoffs, seems to slipping out of their grasp.  The Islanders now sit at 28-31-11 with sixty-seven points.  That's now eleven points behind the eighth place Capitals.  Each team has twelve games left to play.
          The first period was all Islanders.  They outshot the Capitals 10-4, and outscored them 2-0.  It started at the 8:54 mark of the period when left winger Matt Moulson scored one of the wackiest goals, in all of hockey, this year.  Moulson took a hard slap shot that went high off the glass behind the net.  Washington goalie, Michal Neuvirth, turned around and looked behind the net, but had no idea where it was.  Suddenly the puck bounced off his stomach and into the net, to give the Isles an early 1-0 lead.  The goal was Moulson's thirtieth of the year.  The Islanders would add to their lead near the end of the period.  While on the powerplay, at the 19:39 mark, defenseman Travis Hamonic took the puck down low and threw towards the front of the net.  The puck then ricocheted off a Capitals player's skate and in.  The goal was Hamonic's second of the year.  
          The second period would see the Islanders extend their lead even more.  On the powerplay again, at the 9:05 mark, center John Tavares would get a rebound, kick it to his stick, and bang it home, to give the Islanders a 3-0 lead.  Just under thirty seconds later, at the 9:33 mark, right winger Mike Knuble would tip a shot past, Isles goalie, Evgeni Nabokov, to trim the Isles' lead to 3-1.  The Islanders would get their momentum back at the 11:44 mark, when Tavares would bury a wrist shot over the glove of Neuvirth, for his second of the game, which gave the Isles a 4-1 lead.  The goals were Tavares' twenty-ninth and thirtieth.  He is now tied with his line mate, Matt Moulson, as the team leader in goals.  With under a minute left in the period, at the 19:07 mark, left winger Alexander Ovechkin would bury a rebound left by Nabokov, to make it 4-2 going into the third.  
          Under two minutes into the third the Capitals would trim the lead again.  At the 1:51 mark, defenseman Dmitry Orlov would bury a wrist shot over the blocker of Nabokov, to make it 4-3 Isles.  Then at the 10:51 mark the Capitals' comeback would be complete.  Ovechkin would be stopped on a one-timer by Nabokov, but he couldn't hold onto the puck and Ovechkin would bury his own rebound to tie the game at 4, and send this one into overtime.  
         With both teams securing a point, the overtime saw nobody score and the game went to a shootout.  The Islanders sent out center Frans Nielsen, Tavares, and Moulson.  The Capitals countered with left winger Alexander Semin, Ovechkin, and Orlov.  Nielsen was first to shoot, and he clanked his famous backhander off the post.  Trying to give the Capitals the advantage Semin came in fast, but had the puck poked away from him by the stick of Nabokov.  Tavares would give the Isles the advantage as he was able to bury his wrist shot under the glove of Neuvirth, to give the Isles a 1-0 lead.  Ovechkin would tie the shootout, burying a backhander by Nabokov, to make it 1-1.  Next up was Moulson, who tried to go over the blocker of Neuvirth, but he was up to the challenge, stopping him and giving the Capitals a chance to win it.  With a chance to win it, Orlov skated towards Nabokov, but he lost control of the puck and never got a shot off.  With the shootout going into sudden death, Islander coach Jack Capuano sent out his captain, defenseman Mark Streit.  Streit tried to go five hole, but Neuvirth closed his pads in time and stopped him.  The Capitals then sent out center Matt Hendricks to face Nabokov.  Hendricks put on a ton of moves and fooled Nabokov enough to get one by him and give the Capitals the win.  
          With their playoff hopes slipping a way, the Islanders will try to end their losing streak on Thursday night, when they play host to the Philadelphia Flyers.  Puck drop is scheduled for 7 PM.