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Boychuk lifts Isles over Caps in OT

Dec 30, 2014 - 3:52 AM Uniondale, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - Johnny Boychuk buried a slap shot 2:52 into overtime to lift the New York Islanders to a 4-3 win over the Washington Capitals on Monday night.

Boychuk's goal came just seconds from the end of a four-minute power play the Islanders received after Washington's Evgeny Kuznetsov was whistled for a high sticking double-minor late in the third period.

It followed a furious comeback by the Capitals, who scored three consecutive goals to erase a 3-0 deficit in the third period, tying the game with 2:41 left in regulation on Alex Ovechkin's wrist shot.

Anders Lee, Lubomir Visnovsky and Calvin de Haan also scored for New York, which snapped a two-game losing streak. Jaroslav Halak made 23 saves to push his personal winning streak to five games.

Eric Fehr and Nicklas Backstrom also scored the Capitals, who went 1-1-1 on a three-game road trip. Braden Holtby faced 39 shots in the loss, stopping 35.

De Haan's short-handed goal 1:41 into the third period gave the Islanders a 3-0 lead and came after Holtby initially blocked a shot by Nikolay Kulemin. The puck was poked away from a Washington defender and wound up with de Haan, who scored on a one-timer.

At the time, things looked bleak for the Capitals.

"We can't start an important game like that," Ovechkin said of the deficit. "They out-played us and out-battled us. ... We start thinking too much and putting pressure on ourselves and it can't be like that."

But the Capitals quickly made a game of it with two goals in a span of 1:49. Fehr buried a loose puck from in front of the net and Backstrom beat Halak's glove after taking a pass from Ovechkin ahead of a defender that allowed him to skate in alone on the Islanders net.

Ovechkin scored right after Washington won a faceoff in the Islanders zone, but Kuznetsov took the penalty with 64 seconds left in regulation, leading to Boychuk's eventual winner from above the left circle, which beat Holtby high to the near side.

"A great shot," said Islanders coach Jack Capuano.

The victory gave the Islanders a share of first place in the Metropolitan Division with the Pittsburgh Penguins, who lost to New Jersey on Monday.

They took 1-0 lead 8:15 into the game on Lee's deflection of Thomas Hickey's wrist shot, which was sailing wide of the net.

Visnovsky made it 2-0 midway through the second period with a shot from the point that was also off the mark, but hit Washington defenseman Brooks Orpik in the slot and caromed past Holtby.

Orpik later suffered an apparent right leg injury in the third period while checking Cal Clutterbuck from behind near the end boards. Orpik's right knee collided with the back of Clutterbuck's left leg. He was whistled for roughing on the play.

Game Notes

Halak was on injured reserve for one day this past weekend with a lower-body injury ... Washington hosts Chicago on Thursday ... The Islanders start a seven-game road trip on Wednesday.