WASHINGTON -- There was a wave-like quality to this game at the raucous Verizon Center in downtown Washington.

While it didn't exactly start that way, by the time the final seconds ticked away on the Washington Capitals' 4-3 victory over the New York Islanders, it certainly felt like a seminal moment in this young series.

For the first 25 minutes or so of Game 2 of this Eastern Conference first round playoff series, it appeared as though the Islanders were going to defy the prognosticators and calmly and methodically steal two straight playoff games on the road.

Indeed, the only wave that appeared to be in evidence for the first part of Game 2 were the Capitals waving goodbye to their season.

But by the end, when a different kind of Capitals’ wave had crashed over them, the Islanders were forced to return to Long Island for Game 3 Sunday afternoon wondering about getting their heads above the surface even though this series is tied at one.

In spite of being forced to start rookie netminder Philipp Grubauer in place of ailing starter Braden Holtby, in spite of being stymied by the Islander shot blockers and in spite of falling behind 2-0 and 3-1 in the game, the Capitals owned this contest.

It began in the second period as the Capitals pounded the Islanders with a relentless forecheck, holding the puck for long periods of time even if they still trailed 3-2 by the end of the middle frame. They continued that relentless attack in the third period when Nicklas Backstrom scored on the Capitals’ only power play opportunity of the night to tie the game, setting the stage for Jason Chimera’s winner after an ugly Islander turnover.

By the end of the night, the Capitals had 82 shot attempts to 51 by the Islanders and outshot the Islanders 30-14 in the final two periods.

“We had a 3-1 lead so there was an opportunity, but only half the game is done,” said captain John Tavares. “There’s 60 minutes and we just weren’t as aggressive."

Islanders coach Jack Capuano sounded dejected after the loss.

“We had chances to shoot pucks and we didn’t," Capuano said. "We didn’t deserve it. We didn’t deserve it. You’re not going to, what did we have, 13, 15 shots or whatever we had after two periods? That’s not going to get it done even though we had the lead.”

The coach, who is without important defensive component Travis Hamonic (lower-body injury), hinted at a lineup changes for Game 3.

Perhaps the disappointment came from not just blowing the multiple leads but the sobering knowledge that the Capitals were staring into a giant playoff pit and did not flinch; in fact they grew stronger, more steadfast, something this franchise has not necessarily been able to do over the years.

And the more the Capitals stuck with their game plan, resisting the temptation to try and do things as individuals, the more success they had. And the more success they had, the louder the crowd at the Verizon Center -- a crowd curiously dispassionate in Game 1’s 4-1 loss -- became until it all became a blur.

“It was as loud as this building’s been this year. We just fed off it,” Capitals coach Barry Trotz insisted.

“We just stayed with it. We stayed with it all night. ... You could see it turning. When it turns you can see the momentum it gives you. You can see that the crowd can see it.”

Almost dominos falling. Or a wave building strength.

And it wasn’t easy.

Because when you’re working hard and still losing, sometimes it’s easy to jump ship.

“It was tough, it was tough mentally,” the coach said.

Guys could have jumped off the boat when the results weren’t there early, Trotz said, and “that didn’t happen.”

Certainly this will be a night that Grubauer, called up from the Capitals’ American Hockey League affiliate in Hershey with Holtby feeling poorly after Game 1, will remember forever, his first NHL playoff start and first NHL playoff victory.

“Amazing. Amazing. All I can say is a helluva game, helluva comeback,” Grubauer said.

Holtby was at the Capitals’ practice facility in the morning and the training staff monitored him throughout the afternoon. In the end, he was simply too sick to play, although he was scheduled to fly with the team on Friday evening for Games 3 and 4 on Long Island.

Grubauer was beaten three times by excellent Islander shots, the third one by Kyle Okposo less than three minutes after the Capitals had gotten on the board and cut the deficit to 2-1. And you wondered if the rookie netminder could come up with another stop or two to keep the game close.

But, like the Caps as a whole, he had enough resolve to make sure the third one was the last one, stopping all seven of the Islanders’ third-period efforts.

“I wasn’t sure if I was going to play or not," the German-born Grubauer said. "I just prepare the way if I have to play. If they say you’re going to go in even if it’s five minutes before the game, you have to change and go down there ... just got to prepare and make sure I’m ready to go.

“I mean it put a lot of pressure on me. We wanted to win this game. The team needs that. I mean if we would have lost that game it would have been 2-0 for those guys and it’s tough to come back. It was a helluva game today.”

That it was.