Nicklas Backstrom deflected home a power-play shot by teammate Alex Ovechkin to lift the Capitals to a 2-1 victory over the New York Islanders on Wednesday night at Verizon Center.
The goal came with just 3 minutes, 39 seconds to play in the game. Washington could thank Islanders forward Blake Comeau, who earned a roughing penalty to set up the game-winning power play.
“I was just standing in front of the net and [Ovechkin] was shooting at my feet,” said Backstrom, who recorded his first goal of the season. “He hit my foot. It was kind of lucky he didn’t hit it too hard, otherwise I probably couldn’t walk tomorrow. It was a good one.”
New York forward Nino Niederreiter opened the scoring at 3:14 of the first period when he took a feed in front from teammate Doug Weight skating below the goal line. Caps defenseman John Carlson was there, but couldn’t prevent the one-timer.
But Washington (3-1-0, six points) turned on the jets late in the second period, out-shooting New York 15-6 in that period. It had nothing to show for it until Ovechkin ripped the puck from the left wing past Islanders goalie Dwayne Roloson, who looked off-balance as Caps forward Mike Knuble drove hard towards the net on the right wing. Roloson finished with 24 saves. That goal was Ovechkin’s fourth of the season already.
New York dominated play early in the third period with six shots on goal in the first seven minutes. Washington rookie goalie Michal Neuvirth (23 saves) needed to make a sensational save on Frans Nielsen at 12:53, using his glove to deflect the puck after he was already down and seemingly beaten. He needed another one with about six minutes left when a puck hopped Caps defenseman Mike Green’s stick, leaving Islanders forward Matt Moulson with a breakaway that was denied.
Neuvirth has started all four games this season and is 3-1 with a 2.22 goals-against average and a .924 save percentage. That’s a pretty good start to any Calder Trophy campaign for NHL rookie of the year.
“It’s all about confidence,” Neuvirth said. “Everybody says you get more and more confident the more you play. It’s been a tough week of games. I’m pretty happy with the effort. But it’s been a lot.”
Washington’s penalty kill continued to excel, keeping New York’s power play off the scoreboard in three chances. That unit is now a perfect 15-for-15 on the season.
The power-play goal, meanwhile, was just the second of the season for the Caps, who started in a 1-for-16 rut on top of the 1-for-33 disaster that cost them in the Stanley Cup playoffs against Montreal last spring. But there were little signs of panic from a team that was the NHL’s best power play last season.
“It was just a matter of time,” said Washington coach Bruce Boudreau. “With the people we put out there, hopefully they simplify it. They got one at the right time.”
