Islanders take down Capitals in OT, grab series lead

John Tavares put an end to things before they got out of hand. The Islanders center beat Braden Holtby just 15 seconds into overtime Sunday afternoon at Nassau Coliseum, giving his team a 2-1 victory as well as a 2-1 series lead.

The Capitals had the momentum heading into the brief extra session as Nicklas Backstrom went top shelf, with Alexander Ovechkin posted right in front of the net, to beat Jaroslav Halak at the 13:54 mark of the third period. Other than that lapse, Halak was superb for the Islanders as he blocked 24 Washington offerings.

Kyle Okposo tallied the only regulation goal for New York with a slap shot at the 12:37 mark of the second period.

Holtby finished with 40 saves.

The Islanders and Capitals will play Game 4 of their best-of-seven series Tuesday (7:30 p.m., MSG+).