Islanders again can't hold third-period lead, fall to Capitals in overtime

WASHINGTON — The analysis is simple yet damning. The Islanders’ power play is atrocious, the penalty kill is not good enough and whatever mental block they have with third-period leads is sinking their season.

Sure, the Islanders got a point out of Friday afternoon’s 5-4 overtime loss to the Capitals at Capital One Arena after blowing a two-goal lead within the first 7:24 of the third period. But the postgame sound bites — anger without real answers — made clear their absolute frustration.

Jakob Chychrun scored the winner at 1:20 of overtime after the Islanders’ 0-for-3 power play failed to generate a shot when Nic Dowd was whistled for slashing at 16:10 of the third period.

“Our power play was awful,” said coach Patrick Roy, citing its poor execution. “We didn’t generate nothing on that one. Actually, it was the second unit that played better because they simplified the game. They came in with some speed. Our power play is going to have to produce. The power play is going to have to be a difference.”

The Islanders (8-10-6), who got 21 saves from Semyon Varlamov, are 8-for-67 (11.9%) with the man advantage. They failed to hold a third-period lead for the sixth time in seven games (1-5-1) — during which they are 1-for-14 on the power play — and for the 10th time this season. They’ve been outscored 38-20 in third periods.

“It’s a great question,” Simon Holmstrom said after the first two-goal game of his career when asked about the third-period failures. “I think, right now, it’s probably in our heads a little bit even if we don’t want it to be.”

This despite Holmstrom jelling well on the top line with Bo Horvat (two assists) and Anders Lee (one goal, two assists) after Jean-Gabriel Pageau was a late scratch because of a lower-body injury.

“Same story,” Matt Martin said. “We continue to find ways to lose. It’s not good enough. I think we just shoot ourselves in the foot a lot. We’re just not taking advantage of big moments in games.”

The Capitals (16-6-1) were 2-for-4 on the power play.

“We played really good the first two [periods],” said Kyle MacLean, whose first goal of the season gave the Islanders a 3-2 lead at 16:28 of the second period. “We’ve got to find a way to weather the storm and just finish games. If it was an easy, simple fix, we’d have figured it out by now.”

The Capitals’ Logan Thompson (20 saves) allowed three goals on eight shots in the second period, and the Islanders took a 4-2 lead when Holmstrom tipped defenseman Dennis Cholowski’s shot at 18:09. It seemingly ended a game-turning sequence after Roy successfully challenged that Hendrix Lapierre interfered with Varlamov, negating John Carlson’s apparent go-ahead goal at 14:05 of the second period.

But Lee, whose elite-level tip of defenseman Noah Dobson’s shot tied it at 2-2 at 1:15 of the second period, was called for hooking Taylor Raddysh just five seconds into the third period. Dylan Strome’s power-play goal at 1:20 brought the Capitals within one.

“Two players on the other team told me how bad a call it is,” Lee said. “I’ve got to keep my stick out of there. I can’t give them any chance to make a call, whether it was right or wrong. It’s on me.”

And his three-point performance?

“I just want to win hockey games,” Lee said. “Every guy in this room just wants to win.”

Tom Wilson, with his second goal, tied it at 4-4 at 7:24 of the third period. Wilson also scored on the power play at 12:10 of the first period for a 2-1 lead after Dowd skated past Pierre Engvall to make it 1-1 at 4:50.

Holmstrom’s rising wrist shot opened the scoring at 3:36, the fifth time in six games the Islanders have scored first.

Notes & quotes: The Islanders reported Pageau is day-to-day . . . Lee’s assist on Holmstrom’s first-period goal was the 200th of his career . . . Defenseman Scott Mayfield exited at 12:00 of the third period after being hit in the face by Chychrun’s shot. Roy said Mayfield is OK . . . Rookie defenseman Isaiah George has assists in three straight games . . . Hudson Fasching drew back into the lineup for the first time in 11 games dating to Nov. 5 . . . Ilya Sorokin will start on Saturday night against the Sabres at UBS Arena.

By Andrew Gross

andrew.gross@newsday.comAGrossNewsday

Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.