Rapid Recap: Capitals 5, Islanders 2

The New York Islanders fell 5-2 to the Washington Capitals on Monday night at Capital One Arena.
In an uncharacteristic first period for New York, the Islanders allowed three goals and were unable to dig themselves out of that hole. Dylan Strome (2G), Rasmus Sandin, Craig Smith (1G, 1A) and Tom Wilson (1G, 1A) strung together five goals for Washington, while Hudson Fasching and Casey Cizikas found the back of the net for the Isles in the loss.
Ilya Sorokin made 20 saves in the loss, while Darcy Kuemper made 38 saves in the win.
The Islanders (91 points) remain in the second wild card spot, but no longer control their own fate. The Florida Panthers gained a point in a 2-1 OT loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, keeping their first wild card status, but were unable to clinch.
The Pittsburgh Penguins (90 points) were idle on Monday, but have two games remaining in the regular season, while the Islanders and Panthers have one. The Penguins can leapfrog the Islanders with wins in their final two games.

THE SCORING:
1st Period:
0:36 - WSH 1, NYI 0 - Dylan Strome collects the loose puck in the Islanders zone and rifles a shot from the right circle to score 36 seconds in. John Carlson records the only assist.
1:03 - WSH 2, NYI 0 - After a faceoff win by Nicklas Backstrom, Craig Smith handles the puck and sends it to Rasmus Sandin, who fires off a shot from the boards to beat Sorokin glove side.
13:13 - WSH 3, NYI 0 - Ryan Pulock mishandles the puck and gives it away to Joe Snively, who hustles through the neutral zone and into the Islanders zone. Pulock and Snively get tangled up, while Adam Pelech trips over a loose stick, taking the two defensemen out of the play. Martin Fehervary collects the loose puck behind the net and sends a backdoor feed to Craig Smith, who rips it past Sorokin to deepen the Capitals lead.
2nd Period:
No scoring.
3rd Period:
14:52 - WSH 3, NYI 1 - Noah Dobson navigates past Backstrom and passes to Cal Clutterbuck in the slot, who fires the puck toward the net. Hudson Fasching finds the loose puck and jams it in to break the ice for the Islanders.

15:44 - WSH 4, NYI 1 - Tom Wilson buries a long-range empty netter with 4:16 left in the third period.
16:43 - WSH 4, NYI 2 - Sebastian Aho sends a backdoor feed to Bo Horvat at dot. Horvat looks and sends a cross-ice pass to Casey Cizikas, who fires off a shot past Kuemper to get within two.

18:50 - WSH 5, NYI 2 - Strome ices the game with an empty net goal for Washington. Sheary and Wilson tally assists.
NOTEBOOK:
The Islanders' road record fell to 17-18-6 for the 2022-23 regular season... Anders Lee was hit in the face in the third period with a shot from Conor Sheary but finished out the game... Hudson Fasching netted his ninth goal of the season, extending his point streak to three games (2G, 1A)… Casey Cizikas scored his sixth goal of the season and first since Mar. 7... Jean-Gabriel Pageau led the team with four hits... Scott Mayfield blocked a team-high four shots... Ryan Pulock led with 24:49 TOI... The Capitals snapped a six-game winless skid.
GOALTENDING MATCHUP:
Ilya Sorokin stopped 20-of-23 in the loss.
Darcy Kuemper stopped 38-of-40 in the win.
SPECIAL TEAMS:
The Islanders power play went 0-for-3, while their penalty kill went 0-for-0.
IMAGE OF THE GAME:

NEXT GAME:
The Islanders conclude their regular season with a matchup against the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday night at UBS Arena. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m.