It’s been a lot. So here are three takeaways on the Islanders’ 4-5-1 start: The Islanders still have plenty of time to prove they are better than last season, when they missed the playoffs by nine points. Or the two previous seasons, when they squeaked into the postseason, only to be dispatched by the Hurricanes.

Schaefer had two goals in a 3-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets. Schaefer, who turned 18 on Sept. 5, became the youngest defenseman in NHL history with a multigoal game, moving in front of Hall of Famer Bobby Orr (18 years, 248 days on Nov. 23, 1966).

Ovechkin scored his record-breaking 895th goal against the Islanders on April 6, but Ilya Sorokin — the goalie who allowed it — wouldn't yield to another milestone on this night. He made 13 saves in the first period as Washington made an early push, and only Wilson managed to beat him.

But since moving up to the third line with Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Anders Lee, Simon Holmstrom has transformed into one of the Islanders’ most productive players, averaging a point per game over

The Capitals will not see Dylan Strome back in the lineup less than a week after suffering what appeared to be a scary-looking lower-body injury.

The results are in… Islanders fans voted to pick a name for the Puppy with a Purpose program, in partnership with America's VetDogs

The impact of those two developments, if they stick, will likely far outlast that of Horvat’s game-winner early in the third period, or the eventual 3-1 Islanders win over the Capitals — though, of course, snapping a three-game losing streak and salvaging something from this road trip is far from nothing.