Islanders allow three unanswered goals in 4-1 loss to Capitals

New York (AP) — Alex Ovechkin netted two goals and Hunter Shepard secured his second career NHL victory as the Washington Capitals triumphed over the Islanders with a 4-1 win on Saturday night.

Nic Dowd and Aliaksei Protas also found the back of the net as the Capitals clinched their third victory in four games. The 28-year-old Shepard made 36 saves in his second NHL start.

Alex Romanov scored the lone goal for the Islanders while Semyon Varlamov made 34 saves, resulting in the team’s fourth consecutive loss (0-3-1).

Ovechkin broke the ice at 9:18 of the first period, capitalizing on a faceoff win by Evgeny Kuznetsov. Ovechkin ultimately sealed the game with an empty-net goal, bringing his NHL goal count to 826, just 68 shy of Wayne Gretzky‘s record of 894.

The Islanders briefly tied the score 1-1 in the final minute of the first period when Romanov notched his first goal of the season. The Capitals then surged ahead with two goals in a 6:15 stretch during the second period, securing a 3-1 lead.

Dowd and Protas were the heroes of the second period, with Dowd capitalizing on a rebound and Protas stretching the Capitals’ lead to two goals with 40 seconds remaining, courtesy of an assist from Matthew Phillips.

UP NEXT

Capitals: Host Vegas on Tuesday night.

Islanders: At Edmonton on Tuesday night to begin a four-game trip.