Nicklas Backstrom scored a power-play goal just under four minutes remaining as the Washington Capitals recorded a 2-1 triumph over the New York Islanders on Wednesday.

Playing in his 400th career NHL game, Alex Ovechkin netted his fourth tally of the season and Michal Neuvirth turned aside 23 shots as Washington (3-1-0) improved to 3-0-0 at the Verizon Center this season.

With the game tied at 1-1, Ovechkin settled the puck and fired a blast which deflected off Backstrom's skate and past veteran Dwayne Roloson with 3:39 remaining in the game.

Rookie Nino Niederreiter, who is 18 years, 35 days old, became the fourth youngest player to score a goal in the expansion era when he tallied at 3:14 of the first period.

The fifth overall pick of the 2010 draft, Niederreiter collected a centering feed from veteran Doug Weight and wristed it past Neuvirth.

Roloson finished with 24 saves for New York (1-1-1), which played the first of two games without defenseman James Wisniewski. The 26-year-old blue-liner was suspended by the NHL after he made an obscene gesture toward agitator Sean Avery during Monday's 6-4 victory over the New York Rangers.