Capitals 3, Islanders 2
WASHINGTON -- Alex Ovechkin, back in the lineup after sitting out Tuesday's game, scored the go-ahead goal with 2:40 left and the Washington Capitals defeated the New York Islanders 3-2 on Thursday night.
Ovechkin one-timed a feed from center Nicklas Backstrom past Islanders goalie Jaroslav Halak for his 29th goal of the season.
Left winger Andre Burakovsky (five goals in his past four games) and right winger T.J. Oshie also scored for Washington (36-9-4). Backstrom had two assists and Braden Holtby made 24 saves.
Ovechkin was suspended for one contest after sitting out Sunday's All-Star game to rest a lower-body injury.
The Islanders had tied the game at 5:38 of the third when right winger Josh Bailey, at the top of the crease, one-timed a pass from defenseman Marek Zidlicky by Holtby.
Center Mikhail Grabovski also scored for the Islanders (26-17-6), and Halak made 20 saves.
The Islanders needed just 1:55 to take a 1-0 lead.
Defenseman Travis Hamonic's shot from the point was blocked in front, but Grabovski gained control of the puck and shot it home for his ninth of the season.
The Capitals' equalizer started with an Islanders blast from the point as well when right winger Ryan Strome's shot went behind Holtby, around the boards and all the way down into the New York zone.
Washington center Nicklas Backstrom got to the puck, stopped below the right circle, spun and fed the trailing Oshie, who beat Halak at 7:28 for his 16th goal.
Halak preserved the tie when he stopped center Michael Latta on a breakaway midway through the second period, but Washington pulled ahead with 1:18 left before the second intermission.
With each team a man down, Washington defenseman Dmitri Orlov poked the puck away from left winger Brock Nelson on a rush and started back the other way.
Left winger Jason Chimera fanned on a shot, but managed to poke the puck from behind the net into the crease where Burakovsky was able to swipe it into the net.
NOTES: Capitals coach Barry Trotz said G Braden Holtby will start both of this weekend's back-to-back games against the Devils and Flyers. ... Capitals LW Marcus Johansson (upper body) missed his third game, and RW Stanislav Galiev and D Aaron Ness were also scratched. Ness was called up from AHL Hershey on Thursday in case D Taylor Chorney, who left Tuesday's game against the Panthers with flu-like symptoms, couldn't play. ... RW Steve Bernier, D Scott Mayfield and G Jean-Francois Berube were New York's scratches.