Islanders center Mathew Barzal stickhandles around Capitals goalie Braden Holtby to score the winning goal in overtime Sunday, allowing New York to take a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven first-round series. Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP
TORONTO — Mathew Barzal scored 4:28 into overtime, lifting the New York Islanders to a 2-1 win over the Washington Capitals in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference first-round series Sunday.
The Islanders are up 3-0 in the series, putting Washington on the brink of being eliminated in the first round for the second straight year after hoisting the Stanley Cup in 2018.
New York’s Anders Lee broke a scoreless tie late in the first period. Evgeny Kuznetsov pulled the Capitals into a tie with a power-play goal early in the second.
Semyon Varlamov stopped 22 shots for the sixth-seeded Islanders. Braden Holtby had 32 saves for the third-seeded Capitals.
Game 4 is Tuesday night.
Lee stayed in his scoring groove in the first period, skating into an opening on the right side of the net and tapping his stick to get the puck. Adam Pelech perfectly placed a diagonal pass on Lee’s stick and he tapped it in to put New York ahead 1-0 with 5:10 left in the opening period.
The Islanders opened the scoring in Game 3 after coming back from early deficits in each of the first two games.
Kuznetsov took advantage of time and space on a power play 5:50 into the second period, sending a wrist shot from the top of the right circle to the back of the net.
The Capitals and Islanders each had a power play during the first half of the third period and failed to take advantage of the chances to take the lead in regulation.
New York finished 0 for 5 on the power play while Washington was 1 of 2 with an extra skater.
The Capitals appeared to start the game sluggish. They were fortunate that Holtby was ready to bounce back with a strong performance after giving up four goals in each of the first two games. Holtby faced 14 shots in the first period while his teammates got just six pucks on net.
FLYERS 2, CANADIENS 1: Jake Voracek scored on a deflection in the first period and Carter Hart stopped 23 shots as Philadelphia grabbed a 2-1 lead in their Eastern Conference playoff series.
Game 4 is Tuesday.
BLACKHAWKS 3, GOLDEN KNIGHTS 1: Corey Crawford made 46 saves in a stellar performance, and Chicago stayed alive in its first-round playoff series in Edmonton, Alberta.
Drake Caggiula and Matthew Highmore scored first-period goals for the Blackhawks, and Alex DeBrincat added an empty-netter with 10 seconds left. Chicago handed Robin Lehner his first loss since the goaltender was acquired from the Blackhawks in a trade in February.
The Golden Knights, who were 6-0 since the NHL restart, will have another chance to close out the Blackhawks in Game 5 on Tuesday.
STARS 5, FLAMES 4: Alexander Radulov scored 16:05 into overtime after Joe Pavelski forced the extra period by completing a hat trick in the final seconds of regulation, and the Stars evened the Western Conference playoff series in Edmonton, Alberta.
John Klingberg’s hard shot was tipped by Radulov before getting past Cam Talbot on the 62nd shot for the Stars. Klingberg got credit for the goal initially, but the NHL announced the scoring change about three hours after the game.
The series is tied 2-2 with Game 5 on Tuesday.
Pavelski recorded the first playoff hat trick since the Dallas franchise moved from Minnesota in 1993.
NOTES
FLYERS: Oskar Lindblom returned to practice for the first time since he was diagnosed in December with Ewing’s sarcoma, a tumor that grows in the bones or in the tissue around bones.
Lindblom, who turned 24 on Saturday, completed radiation treatments July 2 and weeks later signed a $9 million, three-year contract extension. He said there’s no timetable for a potential return to the lineup, and he’s not going to rush back.
“I just feel like I need to be strong enough that I can put myself in a situation where I’m good enough to play,” he said. “I don’t want to be out there if I’m not going to help the team or put myself in a tough spot. As long as I feel right, and my body is strong enough, I think I’ll put myself out there. Otherwise, I’ll keep practicing and work myself back up.”
Lindblom was having a breakout season before his diagnosis, with 11 goals and 18 points in 30 games. He’s a finalist for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, which is awarded annually by the NHL to the player who best embodies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to the game.
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