ELMONT, N.Y. — The ups and downs of a tight playoff race can make losses — even if they’ve been rare lately — feel worse than they might be.
The Islanders had a three-game winning streak and run of dominant third-period performances snapped in a 5-1 loss to the Capitals on Saturday night at UBS Arena.
The loss coupled with the Penguins’ 5-1 win over the visiting Flyers slid the Islanders (34-26-8) to the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot. The Islanders are still on a 6-2-1 run and have the same 76 points as the Penguins but have played three more games.
