NEW YORK _ The Islanders still competed hard, still played with emotion on the night after John Tavares' return.
But they couldn't hold a third-period lead as the Capitals pulled even with them at 81 points with the playoff push intensifying on a daily basis.
The Islanders retain a game in hand on the Capitals and thus maintain first place in the Metropolitan Division despite a 3-1 loss on Friday night before a sellout crowd of 13,917 at NYCB Live's Nassau Coliseum in the third game of a five-game homestand.
Thursday night's 6-1 win over the Maple Leafs and the returning Tavares was instantly memorable for its emotionally-charged atmosphere as that capacity crowd screamed itself hoarse to express its extreme displeasure in the ex-captain's decision to leave via free agency to return home to Toronto.
The Islanders (37-20-7) and Capitals finish the regular season at Washington on April 6 in a game that could possibly decide the division title.
Thomas Greiss, making his first start in five games, stopped 26 shots while Braden Holtby made 20 saves for the Capitals (37-21-7), who have won three straight and five of six.
The Capitals tied the score at 1 at 3:26 of the third period as Jakub Vrana connected from low in the slot. Alex Ovechkin then swatted a puck out of the air near the crease that went in off Islanders defenseman Johnny Boychuk's raised stick for a power-play goal to make it 2-1 at 4:34. Captain Anders Lee had been called for interference against Nicklas Backstrom off a defensive-zone faceoff at 4:21. T.J. Oshie's empty-netter at 18:32 clinched it.
Friday's divisional battle was a far more physical, grind-it-out affair than Thursday's rout.
But it conveyed the lesson of needing to re-focus quickly that will come handy to the Islanders if they reach the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
"I think one of the characteristics of play in the playoffs is you've got to stay in the moment," Islanders coach Barry Trotz said. "You can't let things affect you for any length of time. Whatever happens, you have to play through it and not let it get the better of you."
The Islanders took a 1-0 lead at 2:43 of the first period as Tom Kuhnhackl, playing on the third line with Andrew Ladd a healthy scratch after coming off long-term injured reserved on Tuesday, intercepted an outlet pass in the neutral zone and glided in alone to lift a backhander past Holtby.
Linemate Leo Komarov appeared to be offside as he came to tag up at the blue line and even Kuhnhackl thought the play would be waved off. But the Capitals didn't challenge and Kuhnhackl did not touch the puck inside the offensive zone until Komarov did tag up, which would make the play legal. It was Kuhnhackl's fourth goal but first in 20 games dating to Nov. 13.
Fourth-line left wing Matt Martin missed the game with an upper-body injury as Ross Johnston dressed for the first time since Jan. 12.
The Islanders nearly had a second breakaway goal in the first period but Mathew Barzal's chance ricocheted off the post at 12:20.
Neither team found much space and combined for just 11 shots on goal in a tight second period that was a precursor of tough playoff-like hockey, though sans the playoff-like excitement.
The Islanders had a second near-miss at 16:53 after Jordan Eberle forced a turnover in the Capitals' zone and Brock Nelson swooped in from the right and knocked his own rebound off the far post.
Greiss made his toughest save as he stretched out to glove defenseman Nick Jensen's open-look slap shot from the high slot at 10:41.
