Caps improve to 3-0

UNIONDALE, N.Y. — The Washington Capitals outshot, outhustled and generally outplayed their first two opponents of the season.

Yesterday, in their third game in less than 72 hours, the Caps found a different way to win.

Buoyed by another strong performance from goaltender Olie Kolzig, Washington overcame a sluggish start and grinded out a 2-1 victory against the New York Islanders in front of 16,234 at Nassau Coliseum.

“We’ve done a pretty good job the first couple games of not relying on our goalie to be the star of the night, but we know that he is back there,” Caps coach Glen Hanlon said. “Tonight was a good reminder.”

There is a formula for a tired team playing on the road, and the Caps followed it. Kolzig kept the team in it during a ragged first 40 minutes. Washington was outshot 31-12 in the game, including a 17-3 disadvantage in the second period.

The Caps took four penalties — all in the second — but the penalty-killing unit remained perfect on the season, limiting the Islanders to five shots during the 6:26 they were a man down.

“We knew today was a big game. If we lose today, it kind of takes away from what we did the first two nights,” center Brooks Laich said. “Olie stood on his head, and our penalty kill was great.”

While the Caps only put three shots on Rick DiPietro in the period, center Viktor Kozlov made one of them count. Left wing Alex Ovechkin carried the puck along the left wall near the blue line and flipped a backhanded saucer pass to Kozlov, who took another stride and banged a slap shot over DiPietro’s right shoulder to knot the score at 1-1.

The other part of the formula is the team usually needs a break to help generate a go-ahead goal. When Mike Comrie and Richard Martinek took penalties 53 seconds apart at the start of the third period, it appeared that opportunity had presented itself.

But the Caps’ 5-on-3 power-play group did not register a shot on net during the 67-second two-man advantage. Amid this 3-0 start, the work on the power play has sagged behind the other phases. The Caps are 2-for-17 in three games, including a 0-for-6 yesterday in which they managed only one shot.

There would be a break, but center Michael Nylander made it happen, atoning for a turnover earlier in the game. He picked off a breakout pass near the top of the offensive zone and after a bit of nifty stick work dropped the puck off to Brian Pothier, who sent a slap shot at DiPietro from the right point.

Laich, who is normally slated for fourth-line duty but was on the ice because left wing Alexander Semin missed his second game with a sprained ankle, was perched in front of DiPietro. When the rebound came to him, Laich calmly skated to his left and flipped the puck into an open net as DiPietro lay prone on the ice.

“That was his type of goal,” Kolzig said. “It is great to see a guy like Brooks chip in. In order for us to have success we need everybody to chip in.”

The Islanders forced the action for most of the first and second periods, and New York struck first 6:30 into the opening 20 minutes. Nylander was checked along the boards in his own end and lost the puck. New York’s Darryl Bootland picked it up and fed Richard Park in the slot, who one-timed it past Kolzig to put the Caps in a hole for the first time this season.

But that would be all against Kolzig, who has stopped 53 of 54 shots this season. The Caps did not allow one goal or less in a two-game stretch at any point during the 2006-07 season but have now accomplished the feat twice in the first three games.

Washington’s two goals allowed are the fewest in the league among teams that have played at least three games. The Caps have three days without a game but will go to Madison Square Garden on Friday night trying to move to 4-0 for the first time in 10 years.

“It is easy to be front-runners when you come out of the gates hard and play with the lead,” Kolzig said. “When you can not have a great start and come from behind and win a game, that just adds to things. This was a weekend to build on. We can win different ways.”

CAPS REPORT

Yesterday afternoon at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, N.Y.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Trent Hunter had a clear breakaway on Kolzig in the third period, but Caps defenseman Tom Poti — whom the fans booed all game because he played for the Islanders last season — chased Hunter down and knocked the puck away with a diving stick swipe.

QUOTABLE

“We are going into games expecting to win. Last year we went into games saying, ’Let’s work hard and see what happens.’ ”

— Caps goaltender Olie Kolzig

BY THE NUMBERS

.976 COMBINED SAVE PERCENTAGE FOR GOALTENDERS OLIE KOLZIG AND BRENT JOHNSON, WHO HAVE STOPPED 81 OF 83 SHOTS IN THE FIRST THREE GAMES.

12 SHOTS FOR THE CAPS, THE FEWEST IN A VICTORY IN FRANCHISE HISTORY ACCORDING TO ELIAS SPORTS BUREAU. THE PREVIOUS LOW WAS 13 IN A 5-2 VICTORY OVER ST. LOUIS ON JAN. 29, 1977.

— COREY MASISAK