The New York Islanders overcame a late-game goal to earn a 2-1 overtime win over the Washington Capitals in Game 3 of their first-round series.
Capitals vs. Islanders 2015 final score: Tavares scores Game 3 winner in overtime
New York takes a 2-1 series lead with the win.
Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
The Islanders came out of the gate with a frenetic pace, peppering Capitals' goalie Braden Holtby with plenty of shots. But Washington didn't concede, and the Islanders settled for hitting everything that moved. Both Eric Fehr and Marcus Johansson had to leave with minor injuries in the first period.
The score would remain empty for both sides until Kyle Okposo tipped in a shot from Lubomir Visnovsky midway through the second period to give the Islanders a 1-0 lead. Okposo had a strong Game 3 with four shots and plenty of hits to go around.
New York looked poised to sneak away with a win until Mike Green fired a puck from the point that Nicklas Backstrom tipped in to even the score at 1-1 with just five minutes remaining in the third. It was Alex Ovechkin's screen in front of goalie Jaroslav Halak that allowed the shot to go through.
The game finished in overtime, where John Tavares managed to slip one past Holtby at a strange angle to give New York a 2-1 series lead.
3 Things We Learned
1. Braden Holtby made an impact.
The first 10 minutes of Game 2 were spent almost entirely around the Washington netminder’s crease. It seemed inevitable that the Isles would score, but Holtby turned everything aside with ease. If he hadn’t, the game wouldn’t have been close enough for the Capitals to tie things late.
2. New York isn’t exactly locking things down late.
In two consecutive games, the Islanders have conceded a game-tying or winning goal in the final 10 minutes of the first period. That’s not how you win a playoff series.
3. Nassau is ready for its swan song.
The Islanders began their final playoff campaign in Nassau Coliseum on Sunday, and the crowd was certainly ready for it. The energy in the Coliseum was amazing, and it set the tone for what was a chaotic and heavy-hitting first two periods. If the Isles can continue to feed off that, they could come out on top in the series.
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