Eller gives Caps new life with goal in OT

Golden Knights sweep; Jets’ Scheifele scores twice in win

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Lars Eller scored in the second overtime period and the Washington Capitals beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-2 in Game 3 on Tuesday night to tighten up the their first-round playoff series.

The Capitals won at Nationwide Arena after Columbus won the first two games — both in overtime — in Washington. It was the Capitals’ turn to prevail in OT, this time on the Blue Jackets’ home ice, to pull to 2-1 in the best-of-seven series.

Eller tapped a rebound past Sergei Bobrovsky 9 minutes into the second extra period for his first goal in the playoff series.

Tom Wilson and John Carlson also scored, and Braden Holtby stopped 33 shots for the Capitals, who were in danger of falling into a nearly insurmountable hole had they let the game slip away.

Game 4 is Thursday night back here with Game 5 set for Washington on Saturday.

Pierre-Luc Dubois and Artemi Panarin scored for Columbus, and Bobrovsky finished with 42 saves after getting 54 in the Game 2 on Sunday. GOLDEN KNIGHTS 1, KINGS 0: In Los Angeles, Brayden McNabb scored in the second period to lift Las Vegas past LA, giving the Golden Knights a sweep in the first-round series.

Las Vegas goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury

made 31 saves.

JETS 2, WILD 0: In St. Paul, Minn., Mark Scheifele scored both goals for Winnipeg and Connor Hellebuyck made 30 saves for his seventh shutout this season, as the Jets beat Minnesota to take a 3-1 lead in the first-round playoff series.

Scheifele scored with 28 seconds left in the first period and tacked on an empty-netter with 11 seconds remaining, pushing the Wild to the brink of elimination.

Devan Dubnyk stopped 26 shots for the Wild, which played without star left wing Zach Parise because of a broken sternum suffered in Game 3. After a six-goal outburst in its last appearance, the Wild had trouble generating the same kind of relentless attack and simply couldn’t slide any pucks past Hellebuyck.

Now the series shifts back to Winnipeg.