Taylor Hall scored the game-winner 2:53 into overtime as the Boston Bruins locked up the No. 3 seed in the East with a 3-2 victory over the visiting New York Islanders on Monday night.

The Bruins (33-15-7, 73 points) will face the Washington Capitals in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Boston will conclude its regular season at Washington on Tuesday.

The Islanders, playing their season finale, had a chance to leap the Bruins in the standings with a regulation win. New York (32-17-7, 71 points) will face the top-seeded Pittsburgh Penguins in Round 1.

Hall also scored in regulation for the Bruins, Brad Marchand had a goal and an assist and Tuukka Rask stopped 16 shots. David Krejci added three helpers.

Oliver Wahlstrom and Mathew Barzal tallied for the Islanders. Semyon Varlamov made 25 saves over the first two periods before being replaced by Ilya Sorokin to begin the third period for undisclosed reasons. Sorokin added 10 saves.

Knowing overtime would net Boston the third seed regardless, New York pulled its goalie with roughly 90 seconds remaining and the score tied 2-2 but couldn't come up with a game-winner.

The Bruins outshot the Islanders 18-4 in the first period. It wasn't until the final minute that Boston broke through.

On a 5-on-3 after Leo Komarov received a double minor for a slash and subsequent late hit on David Pastrnak, Hall took advantage seven seconds in with a snipe from the right of the net for a 1-0 lead at 19:21.

Hall has eight goals in 16 games with Boston.

With Hall in the box for cross-checking Nick Leddy during a 4-on-4, Wahlstrom equalized for the Islanders on a one-timer 1:38 into the second. The goal was the rookie's 12th.

Marchand scored his 29th after tipping in a feed from Krejci directly to his stick in the crease at 6:15, and New York once again knotted the score just 2:16 later when Barzal put home his 17th while surrounded by three Bruins defending.

Boston forward Ondrej Kase, playing his first game since Jan. 16, exited with an upper-body injury sustained in the second period.

-Field Level Media