NEW YORK — Everyone knew things would be different for the New York Islanders after the departure of generational talent John Tavares. But few people expected the difference to manifest itself in a potentially record-setting start for the Islanders Philadelphia Flyers Hats Authentic , who will look to remain perfect in the Metropolitan Division when they host the New Jersey Devils on Saturday night at Barclays Center.The Islanders extended their winning streak to four games Thursday night when they moved into a tie for first place in the Metropolitan with a 3-2 shootout win over the other first-place occupant, the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Devils suffered their second straight loss Thursday night, falling to the host Detroit Red Wings 4-3.The winning streak for the Islanders (7-4-1) has come entirely against Metropolitan opponents. New York is 5-0-0 in the Metropolitan this season, the franchise’s best start against divisional rivals since it opened the 1982-83 season 6-0-0 (wins-losses-ties) in the Patrick Division.Article continues below ...That team won the last of the Islanders’ four straight Stanley Cups. It’s a little early to ascribe such lofty goals to this year’s squad, but the spate of divisional wins — including back-to-back wins over the Penguins, whom New York beat 6-3 in Pittsburgh on Tuesday — has provided a much-needed confidence boost.“Any time you put a few wins together, the feeling gets really good in the room,” Islanders center and captain Anders Lee told reporters Thursday night. Lee replaced Tavares as captain after Tavares signed as a free agent with the Toronto Maple Leafs on July 1.“That energy is there. We’re playing good hockey against some good teams. They’ve set the standard the last few years and to get a couple wins — obviously just a shootout (Thursday) — but (they are) huge points for us.”The Devils (5-4-1) got off to their own fast start but are just 1-4-1 since opening 4-0-0. New Jersey, which allowed just four goals in the first four games, has been outscored 28-17 in the last six games, during which it has given up four or more goals five times.The Devils were particularly discouraged Thursday night when they gave up two power play goals and two short-handed goals against the Red Wings.“Gave up two short-handers and didn’t get stops on the (penalty kill),” Devils coach John Hynes told reporters afterward. “So there’s the difference.”The Islanders’ Thomas Greiss and the Devils’ Cory Schneider, each of whom started Thursday night, are likely to start again Saturday.Greiss picked up the win against the Penguins by making 29 saves, including a spectacular stop on a Sidney Crosby breakaway in overtime on which Greiss exited the crease and lunged to poke the puck away from Crosby. Greiss was starting in place of Robin Lehner, who suffered back spasms Tuesday and returned to practice Friday.Schneider took the loss after making 27 saves in his first start of the season. He missed the first eight games recovering from May hip surgery.“I didn’t really feel any limitations physically Custom Philadelphia Flyers Jerseys ,” Schneider told reporters Thursday night. “I was able to move freely and all that stuff.”Greiss is 2-4-0 in six career games against the Devils. Schneider is 3-5-2 in 10 appearances against the Islanders. COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) Three straight overtime finishes to start the postseason? No problem.That’s what the Columbus Blue Jackets and Washington Capitals were saying after Tuesday night’s double- OT game, one that finally ended when the puck pinballed around the front of the net, hitting Columbus defenseman Zach Werenski and the Capitals’ Lars Eller before squirting past goalie Sergei Bobrovsky.”Real ugly” was how Eller put it afterward.But it was a win, one that Washington badly needed after losing two straight overtime games at home. The Capitals needed 89 minutes to win Game 3, the longest game in Blue Jackets history and one played in front of the largest hockey crowd ever at Nationwide Arena.Of the first 26 games of the NHL playoffs, there have been four overtime games in all, with three of them in this series (Vegas and Los Angeles also had a double OT game during the Golden Knights‘ sweep). It is the sixth time in playoff history that the first three games of a series went to OT.Care to make it four?The two teams go at it again on Thursday night (7:30 p.m. EDT, USA) with Columbus looking to take a 3-1 lead. Despite the extra hockey and nail-biting drama, nobody is feeling the burn. At least not that they’re saying.”I didn’t see any guys dying out there,” Columbus captain Nick Foligno said. ”I think we’re in really good condition for this time of year. I don’t think any guys worried about that.”Washington coach Barry Trotz said his team is accustomed to managing overtime games and then coming back. It all builds character, he said.”The playoffs are a test of will, even if it’s not overtime,” he said. ”What I think overtime makes you do is concentrate when you’re tired. You have to be in that moment. You can’t cut that corners, you can’t do that fly-by when you’re really tired, you can’t cheat because those are the times the puck ends up in the back of your net.”Columbus coach John Tortorella said he thinks his guys are fine.”I’ll tell you right now www.officialpenguinsproshop.com , if we’re fatigued three games in, holy crap,” he said. ”We’re just starting. It was a long game last night and we’ve had some overtime games, but that’s all part of it. You just can’t be tired. I don’t even think you can start talking about fatigue until you’re in a couple of rounds from now.”POWER LINEAfter recording 20 points in the first two games against the Maple Leafs, the Boston line of David Pastrnak, Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron was held scoreless in Game 3. The Bruins are counting on their production to return for Game 4 in Toronto on Thursday night.”I thought our top line was fine for the most part, they just didn’t finish,” coach Bruce Cassidy said after the 4-2 loss that cut Boston’s lead in the series to 2-1. ”They (the Maple Leafs) were determined to keep them off the score sheet, and they did.”While the Leafs had bad luck in the first two games – though that wasn’t their only problem, as the combined 12-4 score could attest – in Game 3 it was Pastrnak who hit the post on one shot and then Toronto’s Frederik Andersen made great saves on two others, first with his glove and then with his stick.After two games, four Bruins led the NHL in postseason scoring – Pastrnak (4 goals, 5 assists), Marchand (1, 5), Bergeron (0 Pittsburgh Penguins T-Shirts Authentic , 5), plus defenseman Torey Krug (0, 5). Pastrnak’s nine points still led the league heading into Wednesday night’s games.ABOUT THAT CALLCassidy took issue with a penalty call he says NHL officials made on a hunch in a 4-2 loss to Toronto in Game 3.Bruins forward Riley Nash was handed a delay of game penalty for clearing the puck over the glass on Monday. But the puck touched the glass before entering the crowd, which would negate the minor penalty, and officials missed it. Nash was sent to the box at 16:58 of the first period.Seven seconds later, James van Riemsdyk scored to put Toronto ahead 1-0. It was the first time in the series the Leafs scored first.Cassidy, whose team leads the series 2-1, spoke to the officials at the beginning of the second period and wanted to know who of the four (two referees, two linesmen) decided to give Nash the two-minute penalty.”My question was: who made the call? There’s no call immediately,” he said. ”When a referee makes a call you kind of live with it because it’s decisive. So now they get together and I assume they want to make the right call, that’s the idea, but to me they got together and clearly they guessed because it hit the glass and we saw that. I think you’re kind of innocent until proven guilty.”Game 4 is Thursday at Air Canada Centre (7 p.m. EDT, NBCSN).—AP Sports Writer Jimmy Golen in Boston contributed to this report.—