Penalty Kill, Holtby Pace Caps to 2-1 Win

The scoring might not be there, but the Washington Capitals are still finding ways to win games. Braden Holtby made 24 saves and the Caps went six-for-six on the penalty kill as the visitors held on for a 2-1 win at the New York Islanders.

Nicklas Backstrom notched a goal (his 12th) and an assist while playing on a revamped line with regular partner Alex Ovechkin and new addition Jason Chimera, who scored the other Caps' goal (his seventh of the season). The captain notched two assists, giving him 32 on the season, while John Carlson registered the other helper.

But the story of the game was the Caps' stout defense and their excellent penalty kill. The team played with grit and determination that was missing for most of their game Tuesday in Philadelphia. Although the Islanders may be lagging in the standings, they are not a pushover and routinely give the Caps all they can handle.

Holtby, meanwhile, was recalled from Hershey to replace an ailing Michal Neuvirth, who returned to Washington after Tuesday's game. No. 1 (for the moment) goalie Semyon Varlamov has a lower-body injury, and Holtby filled in nobly. In fact, during his spot duty this season, he has a respectable 3.19 goals-against average -- given the fact that he's only played six NHL games (all this season) and started the 2009-10 campaign in the ECHL.

So while this game wasn't perfect, it certainly served as a building block towards a brighter future for a team that is facing myriad injuries and other issues.

Note: STC sends its thoughts and prayers to former Cap Tomas Fleischmann, who is battling scary blood clots (again) and will miss the rest of the season.