It was a penalty-filled affair on Wednesday as the New York Islanders came back from a 2-0 deficit to take game one from the Washington Capitals, 4-2.
Anders Lee took on John Carlson and Tom Wilson with a couple of bouts in the game’s first period, although only the tussle involving Wilson was called for a fighting major. Lee also laid a hit on Nicklas Backstrom early who afterwards would not return for the game’s remainder.
After a scoreless first period, the Islanders went into the intermission down 7-2 in shots on goal and only one power play opportunity.
Early in the second period, Matt Martin was called for interference while squaring off against Carl Hagelin. That gave the Capitals a power play where T.J. Oshie scored off a bounce from behind the net to give the Washington Capitals a 1-0 lead. At 10:24 of the second, Jordan Eberle was called for hooking after a scramble in front of Braden Holtby.
Oshie would find a loose puck less than a minute later to squeak it by Semyon Varlamov for his second of the game on the power play. Just before the frame’s final minute, Jordan Eberle wristed one off the glove of Holtby and into the Toy Department which cut the Islanders’ deficit to 2-1.
New York entered the third period energized and it would take just 51 seconds for Anders Lee to score his first postseason goal. While it wasn’t on an empty netter, it tied the game up at two apiece. After that, it was all Islanders who dominated the rest of the period with their play.
Josh Bailey would score a shorthanded goal, this giving the Islanders a 3-2 lead. Just over five minutes later, Anthony Beauvillier, on the doorstep, tucked one home to seal the victory for New York. The Islanders beat the Capitals 4-2.
The Islanders went 0-for-4 on the power play, meanwhile, Washington was 2-for-7.
In a relief to the schedule makers and broadcasters, while the prior two first round games needed several overtime periods, this one ended in time as not to delay games with a later puck drop.