Islanders lose to Capitals early in overtime on power-play goal

 WASHINGTON — The Islanders didn’t get a lot going early against the Capitals on Wednesday night at Capital One Arena. Slowly but surely they started playing more in the offensive zone, especially in the third period.

It turned into a gritty, if somewhat unsatisfactory, point as the Islanders lost 3-2 in overtime to open a two-game road trip. Dylan Strome scored on the power play at 1:41 of the extra period.

 “We just stuck with it, there wasn’t a lot out there for both sides,” said defenseman Noah Dobson, who was called for tripping defenseman Martin Fehervary in the offensive zone 43 seconds into overtime. “That’s a big point to grind out. It wasn’t easy. We’ve got to manage the puck better. Too many turnovers early and then you get stuck in your own end.”

 The Islanders (15-8-9) fell to 0-2-3 in the second game of back-to-back sets after topping the Oilers 3-1 on Tuesday at UBS Arena.

 “We got better as the game went on,” coach Lane Lambert said. “Our start wasn’t good enough. We’ve got to fix that in these back-to-back situations.

 “You would probably have to ask the players how their legs are doing,” Lambert said when asked whether the slow start was more about tired legs or the mindset. “Either way, it’s not good enough.”

 The Islanders conclude the trip against the Hurricanes on Saturday before the three-day NHL Christmas break. It marked the first of five straight games against Metropolitan Division opponents — including home-and-homes with the Capitals and Penguins — the season’s longest such stretch.

 Anders Lee brought the Islanders into a 2-2 tie at 12:02 of the third period, grabbing a turnover deep in the Capitals’ zone and netting a backhander at the crease. The Islanders held a 16-8 shot advantage in the third period.

 “It was a gritty point,” Lee said. “That’s a big point. We would have loved to get two. But considering the circumstances, how the game was going and how we were feeling — it wasn’t our best game — we found a way to end the game 2-2 and give ourselves a chance in overtime.”

  The Islanders also lost 5-3 to the Canadiens in Montreal on Saturday on the second night of a back-to-back.

 “We’re playing tough teams in their buildings,” Lee said. “This is a tough place to play against a good team. They play stingy just like we do and there’s not going to be a lot out there.”

 Semyon Varlamov made 33 saves, including 24 in the first two periods, while Darcy Kuemper stopped 30 shots for the Capitals (16-9-4).

 Hudson Fasching, with his second goal of the season, tied it at 1-1 at 1:03 of the second period as he came around the net and beat Kuemper through his pads for a wraparound tally. It was the first wraparound goal the Islanders have scored this season.

 “The defender turned and just let me go to the net and they play man to man,” Fasching said. “I beat my guy and I’m going straight to the net. I didn’t think it was going to be me (scoring the team’s first wraparound.) I thought it was going to be Nellie [Brock Nelson]. He’s definitely good at those. I’ll take it, though. I was talking to [assistant coach John] MacLean today about trying to get a gritty goal. It feels good to have one.”

 The Capitals regained a 2-1 lead at 13:12 of the second period on defenseman Joel Edmundson’s blue-line blast through Aliaksei Protas’ screen. Hendrix Lapierre opened the scoring from the slot at 9:56 of the first period after Nelson’s turnover.

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.