WASHINGTON — The Islanders seemingly got a break when the Capitals scratched goalie Braden Holtby with an illness shortly before Game 2. Holtby was replaced by the inexperienced Philipp Grubauer, who had played in just 20 NHL games and made his playoff debut just hours after being recalled from Hershey of the AHL.
But the Isles didn’t do much to take advantage of the situation, firing just 21 shots at Grubauer in a 4-3 loss on Friday night at Verizon Center.
“We had chances to shoot pucks,” coach Jack Capuano said. “We didn’t, and we didn’t deserve it.