The Islanders have proven so far that last season was no fluke — but they still haven’t figured out how to beat the Capitals.
In their first meeting since Washington knocked the Isles out of the playoffs in seven games in the opening round last April, the Caps stayed at the top of the Eastern Conference with a 4-1 win in front of a crowd of 14,261 at Barclays Center on Thursday night.
The Islanders entered the game having won three of four, but got off to an ugly start as Jaroslav Halak looked rusty in his first action since suffering an upper-body injury Dec.