Takeaways: Islanders Fall 4-2 to Capitals in Home Opener

The New York Islanders dug themselves into a 4-0 hole and couldn’t climb their way out, as they dropped their home opener 4-2 to the Washington Capitals on Saturday night.

Matthew Schaefer’s first NHL goal made it a memorable night for Islanders fans while Anthony Duclair’s power-play goal accounted for the Islanders scoring. However it wasn’t enough to overcome goals from Washington’s Aliaksei Protas (2G, 1A), Martin Fehérváry and Ryan Leonard.

“The big thing with me is that I love to win and I thought we battled back, and I thought it was a great fight back, but we could have come out a little hotter,” Schaefer said. “We’re going to see what we could have done better and learn for next time.”

Ilya Sorokin turned aside 25 of 29 shots, while Logan Thompson made 34 saves on 36 shots faced.

TAKEAWAYS

- Schaefer had a special night, scoring his first NHL goal in his home debut. In a scramble in front of the net, Schaefer spotted a loose puck, came flying in and stuffed it past Thompson on the power play. Schaefer jumped into the glass in excitement after he was cheerfully mobbed by his teammates, serenated by the whole arena with resounding ‘Matt-hew Schae-fer’ chants. There was an extra celebration after the first-overall pick’s first goal stood after a lengthy coach’s challenge for a hand pass.

“It feels like home for sure,” Schaefer said of the crowd chanting his name. “When I go away from home as an 18-year-old kid and the fans show that much support, it’s pretty amazing to me.”

- The 18-year-old defenseman led the team in ice time, skating 26:04. Roy said those minutes were earned, just like his opportunity to quarterback the first power play unit. Schaefer also led the team with eight shots on goal – 14 total attempts - and extended his point streak to two games after he notched an assist in Thursday’s season opener.

“He’s so good, he was our best player tonight,” Roy said. “He deserved to be there, he’s exciting to watch. If I’m a fan, I’ll pay to watch him play, there’s no doubt about it.”

- The Islanders power play had a strong night, converting twice on three opportunities. The Islanders were resourceful on their first power play, getting straight to business and scoring seven seconds in. They looked fast and connected as Kyle Palmieri sent a centering feed to Bo Horvat in the high slot, who delivered a well-timed pass to Duclair, who sniped a shot from the right circle. Shortly after Schaefer’s power-play goal to make it 4-2, Horvat nearly pulled the Islanders within one in the third period, but his hard shot was denied by Thompson.

- The Islanders’ penalty kill looked sharp on Saturday, going a perfect 2-for-2, feeding off a late first period kill, even though Leonard’s goal came just moments after Palmieri sprung out of the box but couldn’t quite set up in the defensive zone. Thought special teams took a step in the right direction, the Islanders need to jump into the win column.

“Our penalty kill was a lot better than the first game, and obviously our power play was good tonight,” Horvat said. “You can take moral victories, it’s good to get our special teams going, but at the same time we need to get some wins here.”

- Duclair had a solid performance, scoring a power-play goal and taking two shots in 19:25 TOI after he was elevated to a line with Horvat and Emil Heineman while Jonathan Drouin served a one-game suspension. Roy said Duclair had a strong game and earned the opportunity to play on the top line after a solid training camp.

- While there were positives, they came too late, as the Islanders found themselves trailing early. Saturday marked the second straight game the Islanders allowed the opening goal in the first three-and-a-half minutes of the game, as Fehérváry broke the ice 1:50 in. Unlike Thursday, the Islanders let it snowball, finding themselves down 4-0 before getting on the board.

- The Islanders had a few defensive breakdowns that cost them. A turnover deep in the zone – albeit one that jumped over Simon Holmstrom’s stick – turned into a Protas chance alone in the slot on the 2-0 goal. Tony DeAngelo later bobbled the puck at the blueline for Protas to collect and race in on aa breakaway that he roofed over Sorokin for the Capitals’ fourth goal of the game.

NEXT GAME

The Islanders’ three-game homestand continues with a matinee contest against the Winnipeg Jets on Monday. Puck drop is set for 1PM.