Postgame Recap: Caps 4 Islanders 1

 The Caps played their first game at the Barclays Center last night as they took on the rival Islanders, and played a strong 60 minutes and took it to the Islanders for a 4-1 win. Now they lead the Metro Division by 14 points over the 2nd place Islanders.

My Thoughts:

*Alex Ovechkin's count down to 500 in now down to 3, as he took a nice pass from Karl Alzner to score #497. OV continues to be playing his best hockey under Barry Trotz, as he is playing in a team structure and continues to be one of the best the NHL has ever seen.

*The Caps opened their scoring with a goal by Jason Chimera which was his 12th of the season. Anyone who follows the Caps knows that Chimmer is on fire this season.

*The Islanders were able to cut the lead to 2-1, but the turning point was after huge penalty kill Nick Backstrom feed Nate Schmidt for a rocket that beat Jaro Halak to give the Caps a 3-1 late in the 2nd period.

*The Caps would play a strong 3rd period and Nick Backstrom would score a empty net goal to put the Islanders away.

*I thought the Caps were strong on the fore check all night long, as Justin Williams seemed to be near the puck all the time. Also, Tom Wilson played well in putting some pressure on the Islander D. I like what I saw when it came to the team's intensity.

*Overall this team is getting to be scary good, some of that is because last night Braden Holtby was once again outstanding stopping 34 of 35 shots.

*The Caps will stay in the New York are to take on another rival in the Rangers on Saturday. However, looking at this game against the Islanders it was impressive. The Caps right now have a bit of an injury bug, however they continue to play strong and the lead in the division continues to rise.


What's Next: Sat. Jan. 9th at. New York Rangers 1:00 pm on CSN