NY Islanders fall 4-1 to Capitals in DC as Washington draws closer in Metro standings

Martin Fehervary and Anthony Beauvillier scored 31 seconds apart in the second period to swing momentum, and the Washington Capitals defeated the New York Islanders 4–1 on Monday night in a key Metropolitan Division matchup.

Mathew Barzal gave the Islanders an early lift late in the first period, pouncing on an errant pass by Tom Wilson in the Washington zone and snapping the puck home from in close to make it 1–0. But the Capitals answered decisively in the middle frame.

Fehervary tied the game at 6:27 of the second period, finishing a give-and-go with Wilson to beat Islanders goaltender David Rittich. Just 31 seconds later, Beauvillier — facing his former team — forced the puck past Rittich at the near post to give Washington a 2–1 lead.

The Islanders struggled to generate sustained offense after falling behind, while Washington continued to press. Clay Stevenson, making just his third NHL start, turned aside 24 shots to earn his second consecutive victory as the Capitals played without injured goaltenders Logan Thompson and Charlie Lindgren.

Nic Dowd extended the lead midway through the third period in his 500th game with the franchise. His centering attempt toward Alex Ovechkin deflected off Islanders defenseman Tony DeAngelo and into the net, making it 3–1. John Carlson capped the scoring with an empty-net goal with 2:25 remaining, firing the puck nearly the length of the ice.

“Every game is important,” Scott Mayfield said. “You’re trying to rack up points the entire season so that’s how we see it. Every game is a new game.”

Rittich finished with 18 saves for New York, which missed an opportunity to create separation in the standings. The loss allowed Washington to move within two points of the Islanders for third place in the Metropolitan Division.

The win marked Washington’s third straight after nearly two months without back-to-back victories. The Capitals now have points in five of their last six games, tightening the playoff race as the season heads toward the Olympic break.

“It’s one of those tough games where we played solid,” Anders Lee said. “4-1 sounds worse than it was.”