Eller's second goal gets Capitals past Islanders

WASHINGTON-- Lars Eller scored two goals, including the game-winner at 16:39 of the third period, to lift the Washington Capitals to a 4-3 victory against the New York Islanders at Capital One Arena on Thursday.
Taylor Chorney and Alex Chiasson also scored for Washington (6-6-1). Chandler Stephenson had two assists.
The Capitals ended a three-game losing streak at home. Braden Holtby made 35 saves.

Eller, Stephenson and Tom Wilson (one assist) combined for six points. It was a timely response from the third line after Capitals coach Barry Trotz said earlier in the day he needed more scoring from his bottom-six forwards.
WATCH: [All Islanders vs. Capitals highlights]
"Sometimes you have some games where most things are just going right for you," Eller said. "And I think tonight was one of those games for our line. We even could've had a couple more. A lot of good things to build on."
Anders Lee had two goals, and John Tavares scored for New York (7-5-1). Tavares also assisted on Lee's game-tying goal at 7:00 of the third period. He has 14 points (10 goals, four assists) in his past six games.
Islanders goalie Jaroslav Halak allowed four goals on 19 shots.
"It was unfortunate at the end," Halak said. "We did a good job coming back, getting the pucks to the net and tying the game. And once again, they get the winning goal late in the game. We just need to learn from this one."

Chorney gave the Capitals a 1-0 lead at 5:55 of the first period with his first goal of the season.
Tavares tied it with a power-play goal at 13:01 of the first. New York is 7-for-14 with the man-advantage in its past three games.
Eller made it 2-1 at 16:19 of the first when he converted a pass from Stephenson in the slot.
Lee's two-goal game was his second of the season. His power-play goal at 16:18 of the second period tied the game at 2-2, but it took 12 seconds for Chiasson to halt that momentum and put Washington back ahead 3-2 with a slap shot from the right circle after a pass from John Carlson.
Lee's next game-tying goal came when Tavares won a faceoff back to Thomas Hickey. The point shot hit Lee in the skates 29 feet in front of the net and he spun and put a shot past Holtby.

The Islanders outshot the Capitals 16-2 in the third period, but Holtby saved them. His best came at 4:58 of the third when a turnover behind the net by Dmitry Orlov led to a shot directly in front by Andrew Ladd. Holtby lunged forward and smothered Ladd's wrist shot to keep Washington ahead 3-2.
Eller's second goal came after the Capitals won a defensive zone draw and quickly pushed the puck up ice. Wilson braced himself for a hit along the right boards in the neutral zone and his indirect pass sprung Eller up the right wing. His wrist shot from the right circle beat Halak with 3:21 remaining.
"[Eller] was flying all over the ice, both sides of the puck," Chorney said. "When Lars is moving his feet like that, he's such a strong guy. He's tough to contain. You could tell he was playing with a lot of confidence tonight, and he got rewarded for it. A bunch of big plays from him."

Goal of the game

Eller's goal at 16:39 of the third period.

Save of the game

Holtby stopping Ladd's shot at 4:58 of the third period.

Highlight of the game

Chiasson's goal at 16:30 of the second period.

They said it

"Should've had it. It's Game 13. It would be nice to have it. It felt like we earned it. We battled. We gave up two shots in the third. It's disappointing." -- Islanders coach Doug Weight
"Well, it was good. It felt strange. I didn't know what to do. We were like, 'Hey we got one.'" -- Capitals coach Barry Trotz on scoring first

Need to know

Chiasson ended a 12-game goal drought, dating to April 6 with the Calgary Flames. … Tavares (17 points) is off to the fastest start through 13 games of his NHL career.

What's next

Islanders: Host the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday (6 p.m. ET; MSG+, ALT, NHL.TV)
Capitals: At the Boston Bruins on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; NHLN-US, NESN, NBCSWA, NHL.TV)