WASHINGTON (AP) - The New York Islanders took advantage of a rusty goalie and a weary team on Thursday night.
Jason Blake and Petteri Nokelainen both had a goal and an assist and Oleg Kvasha added three assists to lead the Islanders to a 5-3 victory over the Washington Capitals.
Alexei Yashin, Trent Hunter and Mark Parrish also scored for New York, which scored on its first two shots of the game. The Islanders, who have won two of three overall, had been 1-12-2 in their last 15 games at MCI Center.
``The quick start helps us,'' Islanders coach Steve Stirling said. ``It takes the wind out of their sails. ... But I like the way we were resilient after two (periods) when it was 3-2. I like that we came out in the third period and put it away.''
Matt Bradley scored twice and Steve Eminger added a goal and an assist for the Capitals, who were playing their sixth game in nine days. Washington has lost two straight and four of five.
Alexander Ovechkin, the first pick in the 2004 draft, had an assist and has a point in each of the Capitals' six games.
Islanders goalie Rick DiPietro left the game 11:09 into the second period after sustaining a mild concussion in a headlong dive to stop a drive down the slot by Jeff Halpern. DiPietro is listed as day-to-day.
Garth Snow replaced him and made 13 saves in his first action of the season, allowing Bradley's second goal with 37 seconds to play.
``Guys have as much confidence in Garth as they do in Rick,'' Parrish said. ``(Garth) keeps those old bones limber on the bench, so he's ready.''
While Snow was ready for relief duty, Capitals goaltender Brent Johnson was shaky in his first start of the season.
Johnson, acquired on waivers from Vancouver on Oct. 4, subbed for Olaf Kolzig, who had started the Capitals' first five games. Johnson's only previous action was 12 minutes of mop-up duty in Wednesday's 7-2 loss at Carolina.
New York scored on its first two shots - and three of its first five - to build the early lead. The Islanders finished with a season-high 49 shots.
``I haven't played that much in a long time and I felt the nerves,'' Johnson said. ``On the first and second goals, you could really tell.''
Yashin redirected a feed from Brad Lukowich past Johnson 2:10 into the game. Hunter scored 1:13 later, sweeping the puck from the left corner and bouncing it in off Johnson's right leg.
Blake made it 3-0 with a short-handed goal at 8:24.
Bradley circled the net, pulled up near the left circle and wristed a shot past DiPietro at 9:42 to make it 3-1. Eminger pulled the Capitals within a goal 7:52 into the second period, seven seconds after a Washington power play expired.
Nokelainen recorded his first NHL goal 1:03 into the third period and Parrish made it 5-2 1:13 later.
Notes: Eminger had his first career multipoint game. ... The Islanders failed to score a power-play goal for the first time this season, going 0-for-7 with the man advantage. ... Halpern returned to action after missing Wednesday's game while observing Yom Kippur. ... Washington C Andrew Cassells left the game after being struck in the ankle with a puck. He is day-to-day.
