Streit's OT goal gives Isles victory over Caps
Photo credit: AP Photo/Nick Wass | New York Islanders center Frans Nielsen (51), of Denmark, celebrates his goal with teammate Sean Bergenheim (20) against the Washington Capitals during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Friday, Oct. 30, 2009, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
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Oct. 30: Islanders 4, Washington 3
WASHINGTON - Dwayne Roloson was passed the Islanders' makeshift MVP trophy - a hard hat - after the veteran goaltender made 37 saves to lead the Islanders to a 4-3 overtime victory over the Capitals at Verizon Center Friday night.
It was the second straight victory, first road win and league-high seventh overtime game for the Islanders, who snapped the Capitals' six-game winning streak when Mark Streit scored 53 seconds into overtime on a backhanded pass from John Tavares.
"It was a battle the whole game and it was a team effort,'' Streit said. "The team fought and [Roloson] played unbelievable."
Streit's one-timer from the slot secured the win, but Roloson's phenomenal play in the third period - when he stopped 17 shots and helped his teammates kill off two power plays - led the Islanders into overtime.
"Obviously, [Roloson] came up huge on the penalty kill," coach Scott Gordon said. "Without those saves he made, we might not have been in that position to get the point."
It wasn't the cleanest game or the tightest - the Islanders allowed 40 shots - but they dug down in the third period for a gritty, gutsy win.
"There are a lot of things coming together and we just have to go into every game with the expectation of outworking the opposition," Gordon said.
Kyle Okposo's double-minor high-sticking penalty led to the Capitals' first goal, as Alexander Ovechkin's one-timer squirted past Roloson at 4:41 of the first.
Okposo tied the score at 1 on a scorching snap shot that beat Capitals goaltender Jose Theodore at 10:37.
The Islanders took the lead on Frans Nielsen's first goal of the season, a gift from Capitals defenseman Mike Green. He fanned while trying to move the puck out of Washington's defensive zone, committing a ghastly gaffe that allowed Nielsen to easily roof it for a 2-1 lead at 7:12.
"I definitely felt about five or 10 pounds lighter after that one went in," Nielsen said.
Tomas Fleischmann, who missed the first 11 games with a leg injury, tied the score at 2 less than two minutes later as he sneaked the puck behind Roloson's left skate with a wraparound at 8:50.
Fleischmann and Nielsen traded goals again in the second period, with Nielsen tying it at 3 at 17:50.
Streit scored the first overtime goal of his career as the Isles won their second straight for the first time this season.
"It's huge for us," Roloson said. "Good teams deal with adversity, and we're becoming a team that can deal with that and take a step forward instead of taking one back, like we were before."
