WASHINGTON — The Islanders came out in Game 5 on Thursday night determined to send the Washington Capitals a message. This would be a physical contest, and the Islanders delivered 31 hits in the first period alone, repeatedly stopping the Capitals at both ends of the ice.
After that, though, the Capitals slowly took control. The Islanders held the Capitals’ top scorers, Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom, without a point, but Evgeny Kuznetsov contributed two goals and one assist as the Capitals took a 3-2 series lead with a 5-1 victory at Verizon Center.