Andre Burakovsky wasn't exactly complimentary when asked about the New York Islanders' defensive efforts after a 7-3 win by his Washington Capitals on Thursday night.
"The Islanders just gave us a lot of room to skate on from the beginning," the Capitals forward told reporters after the lopsided victory, according to The Washington Post's Isabelle Khurshudyan. "I mean, my first three shifts, I was skating around and around and around with the puck and making plays. We didn't really expect that out of them."
Burakovsky scored the eventual winner on a deflection early in the second period.
The Islanders outshot the Capitals 38-22 and controlled possession by way of a 62.79 to 37.21 advantage in even-strength Corsi For rating, according to Natural Stat Trick.
Still, New York's defensive woes have been their downfall all season. The Islanders are allowing an NHL-worst 3.56 goals per game despite ranking ninth in the league with 3.17 goals for per contest.
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