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| Islanders celebrate goal in Toronto (Photo by Graig Abel/NHLI via Getty Images) |
After losing their previous three contests against the Maple Leafs, the Islanders finally broke through and got a commanding 5-2 victory in Toronto.
With the win the Isles moved out of last place in the conference, and nine points behind the eighth place Washington Capitals.
From the start it was clear the Islanders were playing with a sense of urgency. They were out-skating, out-hitting, and out-shooting the Leafs. By the end of the game, the Islanders had out-shot the Leafs, 34-14. It was a season low for shots given up by the Isles.
Even though the Islanders played like the better team, the Leafs struck first, at the 10:24 mark of the frame. Taking advantage of the only time the Isles defense broke down, the Leafs took an early 1-0 lead. Right winger Phil Kessel took a pass from center Tyler Bozak, and was left all alone. He buried a wrist shot past the sprawling Islander goalie, Evgeni Nabokov, for his thirty-sixth of the season. The Islanders would answer back just five minutes later, at the 15:34 mark of the frame. Centers Josh Bailey and John Tavares skated on a two on one and worked it to perfection. Tavares would skate with the puck into the Leafs zone, and made a beautiful cross ice pass to Bailey, who put the puck past the Toronto goalie, James Reimer. The goal was Bailey's eleventh of the year.
Toronto would take their second lead of the game at the 4:12 mark of the second period. Center Matthew Lombardi would take the puck from behind the net, come out to the front and slid a backhander under the pads of Nabokov. The goal was Lombardi's eighth of the year. The Islanders would answer back later in the frame, at the 13:08 mark. The line of left winger David Ullstrom, center Casey Cizikas, and right winger Michael Grabner, worked hard and got rewarded with a goal. Cizikas would poke the puck away from a Toronto player, which would land on Grabner's stick, who would slide a backhander cross ice to Ullstrom who would tap the puck past Reimer. The goal was Ullstrom's third of the year.
The Islanders would run away with the game late in the third. It started at the 13:56 mark, when left winger Matt Moulson would get a rebound and bury it by Reimer, to make it 3-2 Isles. Under two minutes later, right winger PA Parenteau would take advantage of a breakaway he skated on, by sliding one by the right pad of Reimer, to make it 4-2. The goal was Parenteau's sixteenth of the year. The Isles would seal it with an empty net goal by Moulson at the 18:25 mark. The goals were Moulson's thirty-first and thirty-second. He now sits ahead of Tavares for the team lead in goals.
The Isles will play their third game of a five-game road trip, when they visit Tampa, to play the Lightning. Puck drop is 7 PM.
