Takeaways: Islanders Defeat Capitals 4-1

Alex Ovechkin may have taken the headlines, but the New York Islanders took the two points on Sunday.

The Islanders stuck to their game and gutted out an important win, earning a 4-1 victory over the Washington Capitals at UBS Arena.

Marc Gatcomb (2G), Bo Horvat and JG Pageau led the way offensively for the Isles, while Alex Ovechkin scored the lone goal for the Capitals - and made history doing it - passing Wayne Gretzky for the NHL goals record with his 895^th tally. Ilya Sorokin turned aside 28 of 29 shots in the win, while Charlie Lindgren made 18 saves in defeat.

Through there was a lot of buzz and anticipation ahead of the contest, the Islanders remained focused on a solid 60-minute effort to earn the two points.

“It was important for us to find a way to win that game, and that’s exactly what we did,” Head Coach Patrick Roy said. “I loved how our guys stayed focused, a lot of attention on Ovi for this one, and we stayed focused.”

The win was an important one for the Islanders (78 points) who won their second straight games and drew within five points of the Montreal Canadiens (83 points) for the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Islanders came out with a strong, first period effort and Sorokin played a huge role in that, turning aside all eight shots faced in the opening 20 minutes including a dangerously close tip-in attempt by Ovechkin.

The strong defensive effort allowed the Isles to jump to an early 2-0 lead. Simon Holmstrom swooped up the puck behind the net and sent a centering feed to Horvat, who wristed the puck under Lindgren’s pads to open the scoring at 7:06 of the first period. Less than two minutes later Gatcomb scored on the rush, chipping the puck to MacLean while buzzing into the Capitals zone and burying the return feed from the low slot to double the Isles lead at the 9:00 mark of the opening frame.

In the second period, Casey Cizikas took a tripping penalty and Ovechkin - in his wheelhouse in the circle - loaded up a wrister from the top of the left circle, beating Sorokin for his record-breaking 895^th career goal.

After the 20-minute ceremony, the Isles regrouped and kept their foot on the gas. Horvat had a prime scoring chance in the slot and Pierre Engvall hit the post – and Gatcomb broke through again to regain a two-goal lead. From behind the net, Matt Martin sent a perfect pass to Gatcomb, who was cutting into the low slot to bury his second goal of the game.

“After [Ovechkin] scored, you get a little starstruck for a bit, watching all the guys come on the ice in a big ceremony,” Gatcomb said. “But it was a great turning point in the game, good play by Marty to find me out front there so I think it switched the momentum back in our favor.”

Ovechkin was still buzzing and had two quality chances at the start of the third. He fired a shot that Sorokin saved with his blocker and missed wide in the slot shortly after.

The Isles extended their lead to 4-1 in a chaotic scene in front of the net, when Pageau snuck the puck past Lindgren at the 4:20 mark of the third period. Sorokin stopped all 12 shots he faced in the third period to limit the Caps to one goal and seal the win for the Isles.

Ovechkin led the Capitals with five shots on goal and the Isles knew that he was hungry to score his record-breaking goal and them some, but the Islanders turned aside the pressure, remained focused overall and stuck to their game through three periods.

“We tried our best to limit what we knew was coming, which was an onslaught of giving Ovi the puck and his ability to shoot it,” Captain Anders Lee said. “We just played a solid game. Ilya was strong.”

OVECHKIN SCORES GOAL NUMBER 895

Ovechkin became the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer on Sunday afternoon, potting his 895^th career goal at UBS Arena.

Ovechkin broke through on the power play in the second period and afterwards the NHL held a ceremony featuring Ovechkin’s family, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and Gretzky at center ice.

The Isles stayed on the bench after Ovechkin’s goal and individually congratulated him. Gretzky and Bettman visited the Islanders’ locker room after the win to deliver their appreciation for the Isles classy gesture.

“It’s very classy for them to come over, see us and acknowledge how classy our players were,” Roy said. “It’s important to be classy in this moment and support each other, even if we’re not playing on the same team.”

Roy was asked about Sorokin allowing Ovechkin’s goal postgame, to which he praised his performance overall.

“Ilya played really good about himself because he played really well today,” Roy said. “Obviously we’re going to see that goal a lot in the next few days, but he should not feel bad about it at all. He’s a strong person.”

Sorokin, who gave Ovechkin his goal stick, said he felt a little bit of pressure coming into the game, but said it compared to just a small part of how much pressure Ovechkin “feels all his life.”

Ovechkin gave a nod to Sorokin in his speech on center ice, saying, “Ilya Sorokin, thank you for letting me score 895. I love you brother.”

GATCOMB SCORES TWO GOALS

During one of the biggest games of the 2024-25 NHL season, Gatcomb met the moment on a national stage and potted two goals for his first multi-goal and multi-point game in his career.

Gatcomb scored the goal preceding Ovechkin’s record-breaking goal and scored another right after Ovechkin’s ceremony to regain the lead. His line with Kyle MacLean and Matt Martin combined for five points (2G, 3A).

“Those guys just go to work, and they got rewarded for it,” Lee said. “Gatcomb has that ability to see the net and he’s got a nose for it. He’s continued to bring it since he’s gotten this opportunity, it says a lot about how he can seize this, continue to get better and play great hockey for this team.”

Gatcomb is 33 games into his NHL career and has racked up eight goals – including two big ones on a huge stage – is an unforgettable moment for the 25-year-old forward.

“Being a part of a moment like this, being able to contribute to a win for our team, especially two important points for us, it’s something I’ll remember for the rest of my life,” Gatcomb said.

LINEUP NOTES

Roy kept his lineup the same after Friday’s 3-1 win over the Wild.

ODDS AND ENDS

• Tony DeAngelo skated in his 400^th career NHL game.
• Martin recorded his first assist and point since Nov. 7, in his second consecutive game following a 30-game absence.
• Gatcomb recorded a team-high four shots on goal and also led the Isles with six hits.
• Cizikas won a team-high 10 faceoffs out of 11 draws.
• Kyle Maclean recorded his first multi-point game with two assists in the win.

NOTABLE QUOTE

Lee on the Isles getting the two points on a historic day in NHL history:

“We knew what was at stake, that it was going to be an exciting game with a lot of Caps fans coming in, a great environment for the league. It ended up being a perfect scenario, getting to witness some pretty cool history while getting the two points. Makes it a memorable day for everyone involved. At the end of the day, we needed the win, and we did it in a strong effort.”

NEXT GAME

The Islanders head to Nashville to take on the Predators on Tuesday. Puck drop is set for 8 p.m. eastern.