It was hard to know how big an impact the absence of Casey Cizikas would have on the Islanders.
But the gritty center missed a fifth straight game with an upper-body injury when his team beat the Capitals, 4-3, on Tuesday night at Barclays Center. It was the third straight game star center John Tavares took over a lot of Cizikas’ penalty-killing duties, especially in the most crucial moments late in the third period, when the Islanders were holding a one-goal lead and took two penalties in the final 5:15 of regulation.
“I take a lot of pride in being strong in all areas of the game,” said Tavares, who had not had a regular penalty-killing shift in the NHL from his spot as the No. 1-overall pick in the 2009 draft until his team’s game in Boston on Dec. 20. “I’m obviously known more for offense and making plays, but I’d like to think I can be counted on. I was asked to be out there and contribute, and I’m just doing what I can to be productive and doing a good job.”
Tavares finished with 4:11 of his 22:06 total ice time having been shorthanded, and he went 13-for-23 (57 percent) from the face-off circle.
“I think [Tavares] has helped our penalty kill, no question,” said coach Jack Capuano, whose penalty kill went 4-for-4 and is now is now 9-for-9 over the past three games, all wins. “We’ve used some guys that have done the job. To me, it’s one of those things that goes [up and down] a little bit, special teams.”
Cizikas was hurt on Dec. 15 in a game against the Blackhawks, but he got on the ice for the first time Tuesday morning and skated for 10-15 minutes with some assistant coaches.
“It’s first time on the ice, needs battles and stuff,” Capuano said. “Not real close right now.”
Though his return doesn’t seem imminent, the plan is for Cizikas to travel with the team as they leave for a trip that starts in Minnesota on Thursday and finishes in Winnipeg on New Year’s Eve.
The Islanders get their new mandatory five-day “bye week” from Jan. 1-5, meaning when it’s over, they will have played three games in 13 days.
“Sometimes you can refresh a little bit, some guys that are nagging some injuries. But for me, I like to play,” Capuano said. “The more hockey we play the better we seem to play.”
After the bye week, they begin a two-week journey that starts with a weekend back-to-back road games at Colorado and Arizona on Jan. 6 and 7, followed by a home-and-home with the Panthers — at Barclays on Jan. 11, in Florida on Jan. 13 — then at Carolina and Boston, finishing Jan. 16.
After that, a six-game homestand awaits.
“These games are critical, obviously, for us,” Capuano said.
Defenseman Adam Pelech continued his recovery from an upper-body injury, skating again Tuesday morning and working late with coaches and healthy scratch, forward Stephen Gionta. Pelech, 22, has been out since Nov. 28, and though it was assumed he might need some games with AHL Bridgeport, Capuano said he likely would make the trip to Minnesota and Winnipeg.