3 Takeaways: Islanders Lose Three-Goal Lead in OT Loss to Capitals

The New York Islanders fell 4-3 in overtime to the Washington Capitals on Monday night at UBS Arena, earning a point, but losing a three-goal lead in the process.
The Islanders built a 3-0 lead, but the Capitals chipped away to force overtime and eventually win it in the extra frame. Sebastian Aho, Matt Martin and Hudson Fasching scored for the Islanders, while Garnet Hathaway, Tom Wilson and T.J. Oshie scored for the Capitals in regulation. Dmitry Orlov delivered the dagger to give the Capitals the 4-3 overtime victory.

"It's a frustrating loss for sure," Anders Lee said. "We had a really good start and they had a good push to tie it up, but we had our opportunities."
The loss marks the second time in their last three games the Islanders carried a lead into the third period, but did not earn two points. Ilya Sorokin made 31 saves on 35 shots, while Darcy Kuemper stopped 27-of-30.

ISLANDERS LOSE EARLY 3-0 LEAD:

The Islanders were in the driver's seat after the first 20 minutes, netting two goals and outshooting the Capitals 11-5. Both first period goals were generated from the point, as Sebastian Aho's long shot found its way through traffic to open the scoring, while Alexander Romanov's long shot from center point found the back of the net with the help of deflections from Cal Clutterbuck and later Matt Martin. Hudson Fasching put the Islanders up 3-0 in the second period, beating Kuemper five-hole from a sharp angle.
CAPITALS 4, ISLANDERS 3 OT
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KINGER'S CALLS
Aho Breaks the Ice
Martin's Deflection
Fasching From Sharp Angle
The Islanders were seemingly in control of the game, but the Capitals clawed their way back in.
The Capitals began their comeback after a quick goal after a faceoff win, with Garnet Hathaway stuffing an Alex Ovechkin rebound through Sorokin to get Washington on the board. Tom Wilson cut the deficit in half, burying his first goal in his fourth game back after a long-term injury, while T.J. Oshie's long-shot wrister knotted the game at three goals apiece early in the third frame.
Monday marked the first time since Jan. 28, 2021 the Islanders coughed up a 3-0 lead. That also came against the Caps.
"Anytime you get a three-goal lead, you have to find a way to close that out," Noah Dobson said following the loss. "We weren't as aggressive as we were early on in the game. They're a good team if you step back a little too much."
Despite losing their lead, the Islanders had their chances to win. Fasching, who had an impressive performance with a career-high six shots, was denied by Kuemper in tight in the third period, while JG Pageau had a breakaway chance in OT. Ultimately the Caps completed the comeback with Orlov finding some open ice in front of Sorokin and pulling a nifty move.

HEIGHTENED STAKES IN DIVISIONAL MATCHUP:

The Islanders missed an opportunity to gain ground on the Capitals, a team they're chasing in the tight standings of the Metropolitan Division. Instead of closing the gap to one point, it was extended to four, as the Isles (50 points) ceded the extra point to the Caps (54 points).
"We had our chances, [but] we weren't able to put the game away when we had our opportunities," Matt Martin said. "And obviously that was a big game so they're not going to go away quietly, but there's still some areas we can clean up."
With a lot of history between the Islanders and Capitals - and a narrow number of points in between the two teams - physicality picked up in the matchup.
Alex Ovechkin's high hit on Pageau knocked the Isles forward out of the game in the second period for about 10 minutes, and the Capitals seemed to pick up momentum after that hit. Alex Romanov got into a tussle with T.J. Oshie in the second period, with both players taking minor penalties as a result. When the teams were skating four a side, Tom Wilson scored his first goal in his fourth game back after knee surgery.
It was a chippy affair with the Isles holding a 38-37 advantage in the hits department.

IDENTITY LINE BRINGS PHYSICALITY:

The trio of Matt Martin, Casey Cizikas and Cal Clutterbuck combined for a total of 20 of the Islander's 38 hits and contributed two points in the loss.
With a goal in the first frame, Martin's fourth goal of the season eclipses last year's total, while his 12th point is his highest mark since the 2018-19 season. Martin also had a team-high 10 hits. Clutterbuck notched his second assist in two games, while Casey Cizikas had eight hits.
"Solid game, I think we've been [playing] pretty well for the past [three] games," Martin said. "We have to keep it up."

NEXT GAME:

The Islanders wrap up their season-long, five-game homestand on Wednesday vs the Boston Bruins. Puck drop is at 7:30 p.m.