WASHINGTON - Alex Ovechkin ended the longest goal-scoring drought of his career as the Washington Capitals held on to beat the Minnesota Wild 4-2 Tuesday night and snap a season-worst four-game losing streak.

Ovechkin hadn't scored in 10 games or had an even-strength goal in 18 before firing a one-timer by league save percentage leader Devan Dubnyk in the second period. Ovechkin's 28th goal of the season came 1 second after a power play expired.

Nate Schmidt, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Jay Beagle also scored for the NHL-leading Capitals, who recaptured sole possession of first in the Metropolitan Division. Nicklas Backstrom had three assists.

Goaltender Braden Holtby put on a show, stopping 32 of the 34 shots he faced as the Capitals won for the first time since March 4 and moved two points up on the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Minnesota lost for the fifth time in seven games despite goals from Matt Dumba and Eric Staal and 36 saves by Dubnyk.

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There is life in the New York Islanders.

After an 8-4 whipping at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday, the boys from Brooklyn got their revenge, erasing a 2-0 deficit to win it 3-2 in overtime on John Tavares' snipeshow winner.

The goal was Tavares' 26th of the season, and it moved the Islanders over the Toronto Maple Leafs and into the second wild-card playoff spot in the East.

Josh Ho-Sang picked up an assist on the winner with a nifty through-the-legs drop pass upon taking the zone. He also scored in the second period, giving him three goals and six points in eight games. Kid's got game.

Also huge: This goal-line save by Thomas Greiss in the second period when the Islanders were down 2-0. If New York ends up making the playoffs, that'll be one of the reasons why.

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Ouch.

Facing down a Shea Weber slap shot is one thing, but taking it right off the mask is something else entirely.

That's the position Corey Crawford found himself in Tuesday night, but the Chicago Blackhawks goalie didn't seem worse for wear after shaking it off.

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Something was amiss in Washington Tuesday night.

More specifically, it was Minnesota Wild head coach Bruce Boudreau's tie that was off, much to the consternation of the Capitals' broadcast crew and observers on social media.

There was a silver lining, though.

And it was still off to begin the second period.

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Lucas Wallmark thought he had his first NHL goal.

Sorry, kid, was Thomas Greiss' response.

The New York Islanders goalie made a fantastic arm save on the goal line to rob the Carolina Hurricanes rookie of what looked like a sure tally.

It was 2-0 for the Canes at the time, but the Isles would strike twice to tie the game after 40 minutes. That save could be your turning point, especially with the Islanders fighting for their playoff lives in Raleigh.

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The Washington Capitals can breathe a bit easier.

After going a career-high 10 games without a goal, star sniper Alex Ovechkin finally found the back of the net during Tuesday's tilt with the Minnesota Wild.

Naturally, the goal - his 28th - came from the faceoff circle to the right of Devan Dubnyk.

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Brayden Point is giving the Tampa Bay Lightning a fighting chance.

The rookie center laid it all on the line in scoring his third goal in the past two games, crashing hard into the end boards after banging home a rebound opportunity during the first period of Tuesday's game in Ottawa.

Point, who's quickly been bumped up the depth chart due to a plethora of injuries down the middle, now has 12 goals in 55 games this season.

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Chalk up another win for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The defending champs announced the signing of college free agent Zach Aston-Reese to a two-year, entry-level contract Tuesday.

The 22-year-old wrapped up his fourth and final year at Northeastern in style, leading the NCAA in scoring with 31 goals and 32 assists in 38 games. He leaves the collegiate ranks as a better than point-per-game player.

Aston-Reese will spend the rest of this season in the AHL with the baby Pens, on an amateur tryout, and his contract will begin next season.

The Vancouver Canucks, Edmonton Oilers, and Ottawa Senators were reported to have interest in the forward, but the Pens came out on top.

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Anthony Mantha did some soul searching over the past few days.

Healthy scratched from the past two Detroit Red Wings games, the young winger is expected to return to the lineup Wednesday and with renewed focus.

"Obviously there are plenty of questions that go through your head," Mantha said. "There has to be an idea behind (head coach Jeff Blashill's) decision and he talked to me about it and for me it comes down to playing better in general. I'll keep my head up. I'll come back stronger than I was the last few games.

"It's just being more prepared to play in every game, every shift, to compete at a higher level, that's the message they wanted to send me and that's what I was thinking about when I was sitting out, so I'll have to bring my 'A' game tomorrow."

Mantha, 22, has scored 14 goals and added 19 assists in 50 games for the Red Wings in his first full NHL season. He ranks fifth among all Detroit forwards in average ice time (16:41) and sits in a tie for third in goals with veterans Henrik Zetterberg and Frans Nielsen.

Still, as a key piece of the puzzle moving forward, and based on his high-scoring junior career, more is expected and needed for the Red Wings to be more competitive in the future.

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Valeri Nichushkin appears to remain in the Dallas Stars' long-terms plans.

Speaking on 630 CHED in Edmonton on Tuesday, general manager Jim Nill disclosed he'll likely protect Nichushkin from this summer's expansion draft, even though the forward is currently playing for CSKA Moscow in the KHL.

"We're planning on him coming back, I don't know if it's going to be one year or two years," Nill told Bob Stauffer on "Oilers Now." "He's probably a player we're going to protect. He's only 21 years old, he's got a lot of upside and a lot of value."

As a reminder, teams can protect up to seven forwards from being selected by the Vegas Golden Knights, and protecting Nichushkin could expose a player like Cody Eakin or Antoine Roussel, assuming Brett Ritchie and Radek Faksa are also protected.

Nichushkin recorded 11 goals and 13 assists in 36 KHL games this season. He's scored 23 goals and added 41 assists in 166 games for the Stars after being drafted 10th overall in 2013.

He left for CSKA Moscow after not signing a new deal with the Stars as a restricted free agent and amid reports he was not getting along with Dallas head coach Lindy Ruff, a notion the bench boss has since refuted.

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