Evgeny Kuznetsov had a goal and an assist, and Braden Holtby made 24 saves for Washington, the No. 3 seed in the East. 

Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Mathew Barzal scored for the Islanders, the No. 6 seed. Semyon Varlamov made 26 saves. 

Game 5 of the best-of-7 series will be played in Toronto, the hub city for the East, on Thursday. 

Washington trailed 2-0 midway through the first period but tied it with goals 1:54 apart early in the second. 

Kuznetsov made it 2-1 during a 4-on-4 at 3:35. He powered his way to net from the right-wing boards and scored five-hole on Varlamov when Islanders defenseman Ryan Pulock poked the puck from his stick. 

Ovechkin tied it 2-2 with a one-timer from the left circle on a power play at 5:29.

The Capitals outshot the Islanders 15-7 in the second. 

Ovechkin scored his second of the game with a wrist shot from the right circle on a 2-on-1 at 3:40 of the third period to give the Capitals a 3-2 lead. 

Pageau made it 1-0 on a redirection of Scott Mayfield‘s shot from the right point at 3:50 of the first. 

Barzal scored at 9:16 when he took a pass from Nick Leddy and quickly put a shot under Holtby’s left arm to give New York a 2-0 lead. 

Capitals coach Todd Reirden used his timeout after Barzal’s goal. 

New York was 0-for-5 on the power play and is 1-for-19 in the series. 

Islanders forward Cal Clutterbuck did not play in the third after a hit from Capitals defenseman Radko Gudas at 15:14 of the second period. 

Washington center Nicklas Backstrom (concussion protocol) missed his third straight game. Capitals defenseman Martin Fehervary (unfit to play) was replaced by defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler.