#Anthony Beauvillier comes through again as Islanders bounce Capitals

The Islanders are starting a trend of bouncing back after a loss to advance in the playoffs.

With a 4-0 win over the Capitals on Thursday night in Toronto, the Islanders clinched a spot in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs for the second year in a row behind a pair of goals from Anthony Beauvillier. If the Flyers eliminate the Canadiens on Friday, the Islanders will face Philadelphia in the second round. If Montreal completes its rally to win the series, the Islanders draw the Bruins.

Beauvillier’s two-goal performance in the victory was his second this postseason in a potential series-clinching game, mirroring his two tallies in the Game 4 win over the Panthers in the qualifying round. The left winger has six goals in these playoffs. He joins Bobby Nystrom and Mike Bossy as the only Islanders to score twice multiple times in potential series-clinching games in a single postseason.

The Islanders built a 2-0 lead on Beauvillier’s goals through the first two periods, which included their first power-play goal since Game 2. Taking the fewest amount of penalties they have all series, the Islanders made their most disciplined game count.

After five straight games with the same lineup, the Islanders were forced to make some adjustments as Cal Clutterbuck was ruled unfit to play ahead of Game 5. Derick Brassard was scratched while Michael Dal Colle and Ross Johnston, who made his NHL playoff debut in the win, were inserted into the lineup.

Capitals star Nicklas Backstrom returned to the lineup for the first time since Game 1, when a hit from Anders Lee sent him into concussion protocol. Backstrom made his presence felt with some pressure on net, but the Islanders refused to miss a second opportunity to close out the Capitals.

Semyon Varlamov saved all 21 shots he faced.

A little less than halfway through the first peirod, Varlamov was forced to make back-to-back saves on Richard Panik at the doorstep. Capitals fourth-line center Nic Dowd then got called for hooking Casey Cizikas at 10:02. Seconds into the power play, Beauvillier banged home a loose puck for the 1-0 score.

Forty seconds later, the Islanders were incorrectly called for a too many men on the ice penalty that led to a dangerous opportunity from Jakub Vrana but Varlamov made the save. The Islanders went back on the power play at 14:12 after Lars Eller hooked Mat Barzal, but their second man-advantage was not as effective as they posted just one shot.

At 9:33 of the second period, Beauvillier took a feed from Bailey and crashed the crease before flipping a backhander past Braden Holtby to lift the Islanders up 2-0.

A little more than a minute into the third, Varlamov robbed Backstrom with a glove save to keep the Capitals off the board. Nick Leddy and Josh Bailey both registered empty-net goals to close out the game.