John Tavares showed exactly why he is the New York Islanders’ captain as he scored the game-winning goal only 15 seconds into overtime to lead his team to a 2-1 victory in overtime.
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The Islanders now hold a 2-1 series lead over the Washington Capitals after recovering from a game where they blew a 3-1 lead.
After Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby made a save in the overtime period, the puck was rebounded by Tavares, who instantly made the goal before Holtby could react again.
The Capitals tied the game at one in the third period after center Nicklas Backstrom made a goal with just over six minutes remaining.
Tavares, who is only 24 years old, continued to showcase himself as one of the elite players in the NHL with his clutch goal. He ranked second in the league in points during the regular season as he scored 86 points, which included 38 goals and 48 assists.
Backstrom is also one of the premier players in the NHL after scoring 78 points, including an NHL-best 60 assists.
Holtby had an outstanding performance for the Islanders as he made 40 saves for a 95.2 save percentage while Islanders goalie Jaroslav Halak saved 96 percent of the shots taken against him.
Tavares and Backstrom will both look to show who’s better as the Islanders host Game 4 on Tuesday.
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