Down two entering the third period, the Capitals beat the Islanders, 5-4 in overtime, for their ninth come-from-behind victory of the season.

WASHINGTON -- Jakob Chychrun scored at 1:20 of overtime, and the Washington Capitals rallied for a 5-4 win against the New York Islanders at Capital One Arena on Friday. Chychrun entered the zone and put a wrist shot past Semyon Varlamov from the top of the slot to win it for Washington, which trailed 4-2 entering the third period.

Rather, the latest third-period implosion, which led to a 5-4 overtime loss to the Capitals, put into a starker reality that the Islanders are not merely behind the league’s typical Cup contenders, but another club that has been accused of hanging onto a core too long — and this without the injured Alex Ovechkin on the ice.