Zdeno Chara scored for the first time with his new team to cap a five-goal second period, and the Washington Capitals came back to stun the New York Islanders with a 6-3 victory Thursday night.
Then Chara's slapper from just inside the blue line beat Semyon Varlamov clean, making it five unanswered goals in under 10 minutes.
It appeared as though Stanley Cup-winning coach Barry Trotz's moves to put Wahlstrom in for tough guy Ross Johnston and shuffle the lines were working after losing to the Capitals on a last-minute goal Tuesday night.
Vitek Vanecek made 27 saves in his fifth consecutive start in net, Tom Wilson scored an empty-netter with 18.7 seconds left and the Capitals remained unbeaten in regulation under first-year coach Peter Laviolette.
When Trotz joined the Islanders in 2018 after coaching the Capitals to a championship, he asked every player to list his top three choices to be captain since John Tavares left for Toronto in free agency.
The Islanders were regretting a bookkeeping decision in the middle of the second period when Varlamov ordinarily would have gotten the hook for rookie Ilya Sorokin.
- Capitals start slow, but a five-goal second period paves way past IslandersWashington Post
- Capitals pick up some new fan cutouts, three pandas from the National ZooNHL.com
- Islanders lament 'wasted' week going into series at FlyersUSA TODAY
- Inside the Crazy Celebration of Zdeno Chara's First Goal as a CapitalNBC4 Washington
- Washington hosts Boston after Sheary's 2-goal gameWashington Post
- Islanders blow three-goal lead in second period, lose to CapitalsNewsday
- Washington Explodes for 5 Goals in the 2nd: 4 Reasons the Capitals WonNBC4 Washington
- Capitals teammates mob Zdeno Chara, 43, after he scores his first Washington goalUSA TODAY
- Watch ex-Bruins captain Zdeno Chara score first goal with CapitalsYahoo Sports
