Halak, Islanders defeat Capitals, end three-game losing streak

NEW YORK --Andrew Ladd and John Tavares scored 58 seconds apart in the second period, and Jaroslav Halak made 31 saves to help the New York Islanders to a 3-1 win against the Washington Capitals at Barclays Center on Monday.
Brock Nelson scored for the Islanders (17-10-3), who returned home after a 1-2-1 road trip and ended a three-game losing streak.

Halak has allowed three goals in his past two starts after giving up three or more goals in 11 of his previous 14.
WATCH: [All Capitals vs. Islanders highlights]
"He was a huge percentage of the win tonight for us," Islanders coach Doug Weight said of Halak. "That's refreshing. It was good."
Dmitry Orlov scored for Washington (18-12-1), which had won four in a row. Braden Holtby was pulled 1:34 into the second period after allowing three goals on 12 shots. Philipp Grubauer made 17 saves.

Ladd and Tavares gave New York a 3-0 lead when Ladd one-timed Calvin de Haan's feed from behind the net 36 seconds into the period before Josh Bailey fed Tavares at the left circle for his 18th goal of the season at 1:34.
Grubauer relieved Holtby after Tavares' goal.

"They were just a little bit better than us tonight," Capitals coach Barry Trotz said. "A little sharper on the puck a little bit, so full credit to them."
Orlov ended Halak's shutout at 8:23 of the third period when he one-timed Chandler Stephenson's feed to finish an odd-man rush.
"Obviously, it would be nice to get a shutout there," Halak said. "But I think a win is a win. Two points at home. It was really a good game by pretty much everybody on the ice. Everybody had a role, and they played it."
Nelson scored his ninth of the season 2:36 into the game when he was left all alone in front of the net to put Cal Clutterbuck's rebound between Holtby's skates to make it 1-0.

Goal of the game

Ladd's goal 36 seconds into the second period.

Save of the game

Halak's save on Alex Ovechkin at 5:17 of the second period.

Highlight of the game

Nelson's goal at 2:36 of the first period.

They said it

"Everyone knows we didn't have our best game tonight. That's a bit of a wakeup call. I thought we played better in the third once everyone started moving their legs. We know them very well. They played us hard, they played us smart and we didn't seem to have the legs in order to compete against them tonight." -- Capitals forward Tom Wilson
"It's always good to come home after a road trip and play well. It's always tough, but I think we came out hard in the first period. We dictated the tempo of the game for the most part. I think overall it was a really good performance by all 18 guys on the ice in front of me." -- Islanders goalie Jaroslav Halak

Need to know

Orlov extended his point streak to four games (one goal, three assists). … Washington went 0-for-2 with the man-advantage. New York had allowed a power-play goal in seven straight games. … Weight said Islanders defenseman Johnny Boychuk (lower body) will need "a couple more days." Boychuk was injured in a 6-2 loss at the Tampa Bay Lightning last Tuesday. … The Islanders are 11-0-0 when scoring first. … Islanders forward Anders Lee had a goal disallowed at 15:24 of the first period when officials determined he pushed Holtby's pads over the goal line. … New York went 0-for-3 on the power play and has scored twice in its past 21 opportunities.

What's next

Capitals: Host the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; NBCSWA, ALT, NHL.TV)
Islanders:Host the Dallas Stars on Wednesday (7 p.m. ET; MSG+, FS-SW, NHL.TV)