John Tavares scored 15 seconds into overtime to lift the New York Islanders to a 2-1 win over the Washington Capitals in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series on Sunday.
Off the opening faceoff of overtime, Johnny Boychuk blasted the puck into the Washington zone. Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby gloved the shot and decided to move the puck to his defense.
The Islanders then forced a turnover, leading to a point shot from Nick Leddy that was tipped by Nikolay Kulemin. Holtby made a nice save with his left pad, kicking the puck away, but Tavares was able to knock in the rebound and send the crowd at Nassau Coliseum into a frenzy.
Jaroslav Halak made 24 saves for the Islanders, who grabbed a 2-1 lead in this best-of-seven series.
Holtby, back between the pipes after missing Game 2 with an illness, stopped 40 shots.
[SportsNetwork.com]
