Islanders Weather the Storm, Defeat Hurricanes

Islanders celebrate after #21 Kyle Okposo's goal (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

          John Tavares seems to like playing the Carolina Hurricanes.  In the three previous games against them, Tavares has tallied 9 points (4 goals, 5 assists).  He added three more points, with 2 goals and an assist, in the Islanders 4-3 win Saturday night at the Coliseum.
          The Islanders now have a record of 25-25-8 and have 58 points.  They currently sit 6 points behind the 8th place Toronto Maple Leafs.  
          Recent call up Kevin Poulin started in net for the Islanders, while Evgeni Nabokov recovers from the flu.  He finished with 33 saves on 36 shots for his 2nd win in 4 starts.  
          The Islanders got off to a quick start when just 2:07 into the game Kyle Okposo took a Michael Grabner pass and buried a wrist shot over the glove of Carolina goalie, Cam Ward.  It was Okposo's 13th of the season.  The lead would last until 13:47 of the period, when Brandon Sutter took advantage of a mini breakaway to bury a backhand past Poulin for his 13th of the year.
          Carolina didn't waste much time in the second period to take their first lead.  Just 15 seconds into the frame James Tlusty took a Jerome Samson pass and buried the puck in the empty net for his 14th goal.  The Islanders would bounce back when at 4:10 of the frame John Tavares skated right by the Carolina defensemen and drove straight to the net and got one by Ward, his 23rd goal.  The Islanders would take their second lead of the game on the power play, at the 8:01 mark, when Frans Nielsen and Tavares played catch with the puck until Nielsen buried a one timer for his 12th of the campaign.  The lead didn't last long when just 2:57 after the Nielsen goal, Jaroslav Spacek took a shot right off the faceoff that surprised Poulin and tied the game, Spacek's 3rd goal.
          With the game going back and forth the third was set to be all but explosive.  How it ended up was with only one goal being scored; by the Islanders.  Just 38 seconds into the frame Matt Moulson took a hard slap-shot that squeaked through the pads of Ward just enough for Tavares to bang it in and give the Islanders the win, his 24th goal.  Kevin Poulin was a rock in net when the Islanders needed him to be stopping all 12 shots his way in the third.  Including a miraculous last second blocker save on a Jussi Jokinen wrist shot.    
          Tavares now has 58 points, which is an average of a point per game.  He currently sits in 10th place among the top point getters, 13 points behind leader Evgeni Malkin.  
          The Islanders continue their quest for the 8th seed against the Ottawa Senators on Presidents Day.  Puck drop is at 1:00 pm.