WASHINGTON — Washington Capitals gamers already reached their locker room after Dylan Strome scored on the ability play in extra time to offer them a 3-2 victory over the New York Islanders.

Or did he?

Officers reviewed the play to see if Tom Wilson redirected the puck with a excessive stick, which might have negated the aim. Veteran defenseman John Carlson didn’t understand how far to get undressed, however coaches had been assured it was a aim, so he and his teammates went about their method.

They had been proper, and Strome’s team-leading thirteenth aim 1:41 into 3-on-3 OT stood as much as the video inquiry to offer the Capitals a second consecutive victory.

“We’ve gotten a pair fallacious this 12 months, so that you by no means actually know,” Strome stated after his second extra time aim of the season. “Joyful it was a aim. I felt fairly assured after I noticed the replay. It seemed prefer it was under his shoulder. That’s the rule, so we’ll take it.”

Earlier than extra time, Hendrix Lapierre scored a aim and assisted on Joel Edmundson’s first of the season. The trio of Lapierre, Aliaksei Protas and Anthony Mantha was the Capitals‘ finest line all recreation, pinning the Islanders in their very own finish on quite a few shifts and scoring on two of them.

Lapierre, again within the NHL after a stint within the minors, was solely centering it as a result of Connor McMichael was a late scratch with an sickness.

Alex Ovechkin arrange Strome’s aim. Ovechkin’s career-worst aim drought reached 14 video games, however his workforce continues to be 7-5-2 throughout this stretch because of scoring depth and an infusion of youth.

The Capitals acquired a giant dose of that with the return of Lapierre, 21, and the NHL debut of 19-year-old Ivan Miroshnichenko, their 2022 first-round decide. Miroshnichenko, who was identified with and beat Hodgkin lymphoma final 12 months, took a solo lap at the beginning of warmups and skated on the third line with Matthew Phillips and fellow Russian Evgeny Kuznetsov.

“We see how laborious these guys have been working to attempt to get NHL prepared,” stated Darcy Kuemper, who made 30 saves. “They convey numerous power and numerous life and are making numerous performs for us.”

Edmundson, the defenseman acquired within the offseason for dimension and depth who was sidelined when he broke his proper hand in a coaching camp scrimmage, will not be identified for his offense, however he nonetheless acquired a shot by way of from the purpose to attain for the primary time in 28 video games courting to March 13.

The Islanders had been enjoying on the second of back-to-back nights and seemed prefer it at occasions. Backup Semyon Varlamov was strong in stopping 33 of the 36 pictures he confronted. Hudson Fasching scored early within the second interval and captain Anders Lee tied it with eight minutes left in regulation to assist New York decide up some extent.

“It was a gritty level,” Lee stated. “Contemplating the circumstances, how the sport was going, how we had been feeling, it wasn’t our greatest recreation. However we discovered a option to finish the sport 2-2 and provides ourselves an opportunity in extra time. You’re going to have nights the place you’ve acquired to discover a method simply to tie it up and provides your self an opportunity on the finish.”

UP NEXT

Islanders: Go to Carolina on Saturday.

Capitals: Go to Columbus on Thursday.