Top 3 Capitals studs against Islanders
The Washington Capitals defeated the New York Islanders 5-2. Tonight they’ll take on the Boston Bruins in the final road game of the season. Before we look ahead to that game, let’s take one final look at last night’s game.
The win doesn’t help the Islanders at all. They are in the second wild card spot. The Florida Panthers are in the first spot by one point. The Pittsburgh Penguins are behind the Islanders by one point and now control their own destiny with two games left. Tonight the Penguins host the Chicago Blackhawks.
Here are the top 3 studs from last night’s win:
#3 Craig Smith
Craig Smith had two points with a goal and an assist. He assisted on Rasmus Sandin’s goal to put the Caps up 2-0 and it was primary at 1:03. He then made it 3-0 at 13:13. He had a plus minus of plus one with three shots on goal, and two blocks while playing 15:17.
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Smith now has eight goals and seven assists on the season for 15 points. That includes four goals and one assist for five points with the Capitals. He was acquired from the Boston Bruins in the Dmitry Orlov and Garnet Hathaway trade. That assist on the Sandin goal was his first assist with the Capitals.
#2 Darcy Kuemper
Darcy Kuemper finished with 38 saves on 40 shots in the win. That included stopping all 14 shots in the first period and all nine he faced in the second period. Kuemper is now 22-26-6 with a 2.82 goals against average and a .909 save percentage.
Kuemper talked to the media after the game:
“You saw a lot of character tonight. It’s a tough spot we’re in right now. Frankly, it kind of sucks. None of us envisioned to be here, but guys are gonna play hard, and we’ve got a lot of pride in this room.”
Kuemper added on the last two games of the season:
“We’re not gonna roll over. We’re gonna play hard. You know, we still want to win in here. Losing sucks and there’s probably been too much of it lately. And when we can get wins, we’re gonna work for them and it makes it a little bit more enjoyable at the rink.”
The win marked Kuemper’s seventh game this season with 38 or more saves. He’s 3-2-2 in those games. The Caps have a record of 19-3-2 this season when they score three or more goals with Kuemper in net.
He started 11 of Washington’s 14 games in March and posted a 2.63 goals against average and .920 save percentage despite facing the second most high danger shots in the NHL with 89, per NHL Stats.
#1 Dylan Strome
Dylan Strome had two goals last night after we told you to start him in your fantasy lineup. His two goals bumped up his season total to 23 which is a career high. He now has five goals in his last four games.
Strome told the media after the game:
“We’re all hockey players and we all want to win and being part of a hockey player is putting your body on the line. It takes a full team effort to win against a team that’s fighting for their lives. Obviously, we enjoy the win.”
Strome also finished with a plus minus of plus three. He scored twice his four shots on goal. He also had one blocked shot while finishing with 15:06 minutes of ice time.
Strome’s first goal came 36 seconds into the contest. Rasmus Sandin made it 2-0 at 1:03 to make it 2-0 in the game’s first 63 seconds which was the fifth fastest two goals to start a game in franchise history.
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This season Strome has set career highs with 79 games played, 23 goals, 40 assists, and 63 points. His 63 points are the most by a Capital in their first season with the club since Nicklas Backstrom’s nice 69 point season in 2007-08 and the most by a non Capitals draft pick since Robert Lang in 2002-03 with 69 points.