Islanders move gameday practices to Long Island

It was the teams' first meeting since the Capitals won a seven-game series in the first round of the playoffs last season. "He's prepared every night. But any time you beat a really good rival like that, it's a good feeling for sure". "The more he plays the better he tracks the puck and the more patient he is in the net".

There was an early exchange of hits with guys like Thomas Wilson (who later clobbered Thomas Hickey from behind in his march through the smallest defensemen he can find), and Marcus Johansson gave the Islanders a chance to tie it when he took an uncharacteristic headshot at Hickey. "I don't think it's anything to read too much into".

We'll see if any of those have acted up when the Isles next play about 40 hours from now in Philadelphia. Makes for good hockey, fun hockey. "We will do this for the next two games and maybe the whole month...."

Jason Chimera, Nate Schmidt and Nicklas Backstrom also scored to help Washington reach 63 points and become the first team with 30 wins.

Ex-Capital Jaroslav Halak will be between the pipes for NY with a current record of 7-3-0 with a 2.22 GAA in 11 games in Brooklyn.

Mike Stobe/NHLI via Getty Images Capitals' Alex Ovechkin scores in his first game at the Barclays Center.

Islanders coach Jack Capuano said the change in the routine - with started Thursday - was not necessarily permanent, and it could return to spending the day in Brooklyn. "They get two or three goals, they're tough to beat the way that he's playing".

Isles lone goal was scored by Brock Nelson in the second period for his 14th of the season. The Capitals are now 1-1-1 on the trip and look to propel themselves even further above the East, and the league, with some more points before heading back to D.C. Backstrom stole the puck from NY defenseman Marek Zidlicky behind the net and passed to Schmidt, whose shot from the left faceoff circle sailed behind Halak just six seconds after the power play expired. But Capuano indicated the switch to skate and meet on Long Island - where all of the Isles still live - was made at the players' request and will continue "for a while". We're just trying different things. The Islanders only lead the Rangers by a single point for second place in the Metropolitan, so gaining ground is imperative in a competitive Eastern Conference. Kari Lehtonen made 32 saves for the Stars. The Los Angeles Kings bought out the final five years of Richards' contract June 29, 12 days after he was stopped at the Canadian/U.S. border and found to be in possession of OxyContin....