(Wednesday, October 13th)

Final Score: Washington 2, NY Islanders 1

Washington, DC (Sports Network) - Nicklas Backstrom's power play goal with 3:39 left in the game lifted Washington to a 2-1 come-from-behind victory over the New York Islanders at the Verizon Center.

Alex Ovechkin had a goal and assisted on the game-winner while Michal Neuvirth turned away 23 shots to earn the win for the Capitals, who have claimed three straight victories after a season-opening loss.

"He's gotten better in every game and tonight was his best game," said head coach Bruce Boudreau about his rookie goaltender.

Nino Niederreiter scored his first NHL goal and Dwayne Roloson stopped 24 shots in defeat for the Islanders, who have dropped two of three to open the season.

"I thought he played awesome," Islanders forward Blake Comeau said about Roloson's first appearance of the season. "He held us in there the whole game, especially in the second period when we were back on our heels a bit. That's one of the benefits of having two good goalies on the team."

Comeau took a roughing penalty with 4:05 to play in the contest and the Capitals high-powered attack took advantage just 26 seconds later.

John Carlson fed Ovechkin, who ripped a slapper from the mid point that deflected off the stick of Backstrom, who was stationed in the high slot, past Roloson for his first tally of the season.

The Islanders struck first, just 3:14 into the game when veteran Doug Weight fed from behind the net to Niederreiter, who one-timed a shot from the bottom of the right circle past Neuvirth.

Roloson stopped Jason Chimera's initial shot and the rebound at the right crease with 11 1/2 minutes left in the second period before Washington finally got on the board about 10 minutes later.

Backstrom created a turnover at the red line and found Ovechkin in stride up the ice at the Isles blueline. The captain wristed a shot from the top of the left circle that beat Roloson to the far side with 1:41 left in the middle stanza to tie the game.

A diving Neuvirth denied Frans Nielsen on the right doorstep just before Roloson was equal to the task on an Ovechkin shot from the slot through a screen with 12 1/2 minutes to play in the game.

Neuvirth then stoned Matt Moulson on a breakaway with six minutes left to go.

Game Notes

Neuvirth is 11-2-0 in his career at home...He is the only rookie netminder to have played in all of his team's games so far this season...Ovechkin has 14 goals and seven helpers in 19 career games against the Isles...The Capitals killed off all three Islander power plays and have fought off each of their 15 shorthanded situations this season...Niederreiter, at 18 years and 35 days, became the fourth youngest player to tally his first goal in the expansion era behind Chicago's Grant Mulvey, Pittsburgh's Jordan Staal and Patrick Marleau of San Jose...The Islanders last win over the Caps in regulation was October 18, 2007...Moulson had scored in five straight regular season games before being blanked Wednesday...Roloson is 6-4-3 in his career against the Caps. New York center John Tavares missed his second straight game after suffering a concussion in Saturday's game against Dallas...The Isles also played without James Wisniewski, who was serving the first of a two-game suspension.

10/13 23:26:09 ET