Capitals’ Game 2 comeback evens series vs. Islanders
It had to turn eventually for the Washington Capitals, and it did.
Down 3-1 late in the second period, the Capitals scored three unanswered goals to win Game 2 4-3 and even their series with the New York Islanders.
Philipp Grubauer was announced was Washington’s surprise starter minutes before puck drop after Braden Holtby was ruled out due to illness. And like in Game 1 against Holtby, the Islanders didn’t wait long to grab the lead as Cal Clutterbuck scored 5:14 in.
The Capitals kept firing, though, but could only beat Jaroslav Halak once through late in the second period. Despite what the possession stats showed, the Islanders held a 3-1 lead. But it was only a matter of time before things swung Washington’s way.
It began late in the second period when the Capitals took advantage of extra space created by a stickless Kyle Okposo, which resulted in Alex Ovechkin notching his first of the playoffs:
There were only two penalties in the game, one for each team. Ryan Strome’s post-whistle slash on Tom Wilson gave Washington an opportunity early in the third period and Nicklas Backstrom capitalized. The Capitals forward skated into the Islanders’ zone and wasn’t pressured, giving him time and space to tally the tying goal:
“An undisciplined penalty cost us,” Jack Capuano told MSG afterward.
Four minutes later, the Capitals took the lead for good after a sloppy by the Islanders in their own zone. Jason Chimera put home his own rebound to send the series to Nassau Coliseum tied.
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Sean Leahy is the associate editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Sean_Leahy
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