Tavares lifts Islanders over Rangers in shootout
NEW YORK -- John Tavares scored the deciding goal in a shootout to give the New York Islanders a 4-3 victory against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night.
Mats Zuccarello of the Rangers and Jordan Eberle of the Islanders also scored in the shootout.
The Rangers (1-5-2) have lost seven of eight to start the season.
David Desharnais, Zuccarello and Kevin Hayes scored in regulation time for the Rangers, who received 35 saves from Henrik Lundqvist.
Anders Lee, Brock Nelson and Mathew Barzal scored for the Islanders (3-3-1). Jaroslav Halak turned aside 38 shots.
For the second straight game, the Rangers fell into a first-period hole.
Lee scored the Islanders' first power-play goal of the season to make it 1-0 at 2:40. He found himself wide open near the crease and swept home the rebound of a deflected Ryan Pulock shot to end the Islanders' man-advantage drought at 20 chances.
Desharnais answered quickly, tying the game at 1 by deflecting a Kevin Shattenkirk shot past Halak at 5:02.
Nelson answered 1:04 later with his team-leading fourth goal. He escaped the check of Michael Grabner and used a quick wrist shot to beat Lundqvist stick side and give the Islanders a 2-1 edge.
Barzal's first NHL goal 1:14 into the second period extended the lead to 3-1. The rookie beat Rangers forward Rick Nash down the left wing and snapped a sharp-angle shot that found its way past Lundqvist.
Zuccarello cut the lead to 3-2 early in the third period after a terrible giveaway by Lee near the Islanders' blue line. Defenseman Brendan Smith intercepted a pass and was alone on Halak with Kevin Hayes, but Smith's pass was broken up by Lee. The puck skittered to Zuccarello for the easy goal with Halak out of position.
Smith nearly tied the game with just under eight minutes to play, but the goal was overturned after it was ruled that Smith kicked the puck into the net.
Hayes tied it with 5:54 remaining in regulation with a bad-angle shot that squeezed between Halak and the post.
NOTES: Islanders D Ryan Pulock made his season debut after sitting as a healthy scratch for the team's first six games. He was a minus-1 with three shots on goal in 8:33 of ice time. Pulock took the place of LW Nikolai Kulemin, as Islanders coach Doug Weight opted to use seven defensemen and 11 forwards. ... The Islanders also scratched D Dennis Seidenberg and LW Anthony Beauvillier. ... The Rangers employed the same lineup they used in Tuesday's loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. ... The Rangers have allowed at least one power-play goal in six of eight games this season.