Game 5 Notebook: Islanders Advance to Second Round with 4-0 Win over Caps

The New York Islanders are moving on.
With a 4-0 victory in Game 5 on Thursday night at Scotiabank Arena, the Islanders won their First Round best-of-seven series over the Washington Capitals with a 4-1 result.

The series clincher was powered by two goals from Anthony Beauvillier, including a power-play goal, and a pair of empty-netters from Nick Leddy and Josh Bailey. Semyon Varlamov posted a terrific performance as he earned his first shutout of the postseason - and third playoff shutout of his career - with 21 saves.
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"That's what we envisioned," Head Coach Barry Trotz said of how the team played. "We made some adjustments - that's how we wanted to play - the players bought into it and they executed it. With the lead we wanted to frustrate them and I think we did a real good job of jamming it up and making it hard for them."
"We had four lines that brought it," Trotz continued. "There weren't any passengers."
Coming into the game, the Islanders listed Cal Clutterbuck as a game-time decision after leaving Game 4 in the second period after taking a low hit from Radko Gudas. The Isles replaced Clutterbuck with Ross Johnston and also scratched Derick Brassard in place of Michael Dal Colle.
For Washington, veteran center Nicklas Backstrom returned to the lineup for the first time since Game 1. The elite playmaker had been sidelined after receiving a hit from Anders Lee early in the first period and was under concussion protocol.
While the first period was yet another do-or-die game for the Caps, who forced Game 5 with their 3-2 win in Game 4, both teams got off to an unhurried start. Through the first 7:21 of play there was only one shot on goal taken and it was from the Isles. That type of game suited Trotz and co. just fine, as they displayed a calm and dominant performance that was more emblematic of their defensively detailed style of play.
The Isles power play, that had gone 0-for-5 in back-to-back games, and entered 1-for-19 in the series, came through clutch 17 seconds into Game 5. Brock Nelson fired an initial shot from the slot that was rebounded directly back to him. Nelson controlled the rebound and connected with Beauvillier from the right-faceoff circle. The winger buried his shot far side of Washington's netminder Braden Holtby to give the Islanders a 1-0 lead.
Forty seconds after Beauvillier's goal, the Islanders went on the penalty kill after being whistled for a too many men penalty. The Caps power play could have deflated the Isles' momentum, but the penalty kill was clutch and held them off the scoresheet.

"It was huge; Leo [Komarov] had a big block on an Ovi one-timer, Varly made some great saves and our D did a great job of getting pucks down and boxing guys out," Casey Cizikas said. "They have a lethal power play and have been successful all series. That was a big kill for us."
The Isles kept a steady pulse and dictated most of the play in the second period. It took until just over the midway point in the period for the Isles to double their lead 2-0. On a quick rush up ice, Bailey toe-dragged John Carlson and then dished the puck out to Beauvillier who was stride-for-stride to his left side. Beauvillier took the puck on his stick and cut across the crease before lifting his backhander past Holtby.
Washington's Tom Wilson, who is widely known across the league as an agitator, finished his check on Beauvillier which sent the Isles winger flying into the goal post. Beauvillier was shaken up after the play, but did not miss a shift.
"It's been a lot of fun to play with him," Bailey said of his linemate. "He's really stepped up his game. He's been a big leader for us. He has scored some big goals. That second goal, just paying the price and getting to the net - he's done a lot of things well. It's really fun to play with him."

Through 17 minutes in the second period, the Isles held the Capitals to only three shots on goal in the period. The Caps made a push in the final few minutes of the middle frame, but Varlamov made a tremendous glove save on a long-distance blast from Alexander Ovechkin with 25.7 seconds left in the period.
Down by two goals and on the brink of elimination, the Caps played with a push and a shooting mentality in the final 20 minutes of their season.
The Caps tested Varlamov, but the Isles netminder didn't waver. Varlamov flashed leather on Backstrom, who fired a far-sided one-timer 1:22 into the third period. Through the latter half of the third period, both teams' offenses were stifled and unable to generate much.
The Islanders played a suffocating and detailed game in a determined fashion. As the clock was approaching expiration, the Capitals pulled Holtby from between the pipes in place of an extra skater.
"When we're playing the right way you can feel it on the bench," Bailey said. "It's contagious."
The Islanders cushioned their lead with two empty-net goals to diminish the Caps' hope of surviving one more game. Leddy scored his second of the postseason with 2:47 remaining in the game and Bailey buried the dagger with 1:29 left on the clock.

PRIME POWER PLAY PERFORMANCE

The Isles' power play went 1-for-3 on the night and provided a much-needed goal as it converted on its second power-play goal of the series. The Isles had gone 1-for-19 prior to Beauvillier's marker on the man advantage. The last power-play goal the Isles had scored in the series was from Leddy in the Isles' 5-2 Game 2 victory.
While the Isles power-play had gone 0-for-5 in Game 4, the Isles felt they generated promising looks. In their first power play opportunity of Game 5, they swapped Brock Nelson to the slot and dropped Jean-Gabriel Pageau down low, which proved to be beneficial.

BOUNTIFUL BEAUVILLIER

With his fifth and sixth goals of the postseason, Beauvillier re-took the Isles goal-scoring lead and also tied Colorado's Nazem Kadri and Vancouver's Bo Horvat for the most goals across the league in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
"It's not something you focus on," Beauvillier said of tying the NHL's scoring lead for most goals. "You just try to go out there and play your best and help your team win. That's my main focus."
Beauvillier's fifth goal was his first power play goal of the season. With his second goal, the winger now has nine points (6G, 3A) points in six of his last nine games.
Beauvillier now has four goals in the Isles two series-clinching wins.

Video: NYI 4 vs. WSH 0: Bailey, Beau, Cizikas

BAILEY'S HELPERS

Bailey finished the game with a team-high plus-three rating and his team-best three points (1G, 2A). With his two assists, both of which were on of Beauvillier's goals, Bailey now has a team-high of eight assists in the postseason. The veteran winger's eight assists are also tied for the second-most assists in the NHL behind Colorado's Nathan MacKinnon and Carolina's Sebastian Aho who each have nine.
Bailey overtook the Isles' lead in points with his three points in the game and total 10 (2G, 8A) through nine games in the postseason.

DAL COLLE AND JOHNSTON SUIT UP

Michael Dal Colle and Ross Johnston made their 2020 playoff debuts on Thursday, as they drew into the lineup in place of Clutterbuck and Brassard.
Prior to the game, Trotz noted that Cal Clutterbuck would be a game-time decision. Clutterbuck was sidelined with an undisclosed injury. The Isles also opted to scratch Derick Brassard.
"Derick has played pretty well," Trotz explained. "I just felt it was going to be a different style of game. I wanted to put a little more weight and grind into out game. I felt [Game 4] some of our guys got liberties taken on us. We needed to spend more time in their zone. We needed some weight to spend more time in their zone and wear them out a little bit. I think [Dal Colle and Johnston] provided that."
In place of Clutterbuck and Brassard, Dal Colle and Johnston were inserted into the lineup and skated along either side of Jean-Gabriel Pageau. The Isles reconstructed the line that Clutterbuck is a regular on as they slotted Leo Komarov in his place beside Matt Martin and Casey Cizikas.

"Both of those guys [Dal Colle and Johnston] did a great job for us," Trotz said. "They were hard on pucks, they added some weight to us, they gave us some wide legs, they gave us a different look. It allowed us to put Leo with Casey and Marty. Casey's line did an excellent job tonight, as did Pageau's line with Johnston and Dal Colle."
Johnston made his NHL playoff debut and logged 10:02, threw four hits, had one shot on goal and one block. The winger last dressed for the Isles in their 2-1 exhibition win against the New York Rangers on July 29.
Dal Colle played 9:22 as he played in his second-career playoff game. The winger threw three hits, had one block and one takeaway.

NEXT GAME:

The timing and the opponent of the Islanders next series is still TBD. The Islanders will either face the Philadelphia Flyers or the Boston Bruins depending on whether or not the Flyers advance past the Montreal Canadiens, which they currently lead the series 3-2.