Washington - Hendrix Lapierre scored and assisted on Joel Edmundson's first goal of the season, Dylan Strome scored the overtime winner on the power play, and the Washington Capitals won their second straight game 3-2 Wednesday night.
The Capitals' finest line was Lapierre, Aliaksei Protas, and Anthony Mantha, who pinned the Islanders in their own zone on several shifts and scored twice. Lapierre, back in the NHL after a spell in the minors, was only centering it because Connor McMichael was sick and a late scratch.
Washington's fourth win in six games came when Strome scored his team-leading 13th goal 1:41 into 3-on-3 overtime and Darcy Kuemper made 30 stops. Strome's high stick goal passed a video review.
Ovechkin set up Strome's goal. Ovechkin's career-worst goal drought lasted 14 games, but his club is 7-5-2 because to offensive depth and youth.
The Capitals received a lot of that with Lapierre, 21, back and 19-year-old Ivan Miroshnichenko, their 2022 first-round selection, making his NHL debut. Miroshnichenko, who fought Hodgkin cancer last year, skated on the third line with Matthew Phillips and fellow Russian Evgeny Kuznetsov after a single lap at warmups.
Edmundson, the offseason acquisition for bulk and depth who injured his right hand in a training camp scrimmage, is not renowned for his offense, but he scored for the first time in 28 games on a jumper from the point. Edmundson scored for the first time since March 13.
Sometimes it appeared like the Islanders were playing their second game in two nights. Backup Semyon Varlamov stopped 33 of 36 shots. New York earned a point when Hudson Fasching scored early in the second period and captain Anders Lee knotted it with eight minutes left.
The Islanders were missing Julien Gauthier after he was hurt Tuesday against Edmonton. Oliver Wahlstrom replaced him in his first game since Dec. 2.