Sharks 4, Islanders 3
Sharks 4, Islanders 3: Martin Havlat had a goal and an assist to lead visiting San Jose to its fifth consecutive victory.
Rookie Matt Nieto, defenseman Jason Demers and captain Joe Thornton also scored for the Sharks, who are 9-1-1 in their last 10 contests. Antti Niemi made 35 saves after getting a rest on Thursday.
Frans Nielsen and rookie Anders Lee each had a goal and an assist and rookie Brock Nelson also tallied for New York, which has not won a home game in regulation since Jan. 6. Former Shark Evgeni Nabokov stopped 22 shots.
Nieto opened the scoring with his 10th tally at 13:27 of the first period and Demers completed a crisp passing play with Havlat to extend San Jose’s lead 1:19 later. Lee got the Islanders on the board 32 seconds into the second period with a backhand shot that eluded Niemi.
Thornton put a rebound past Nabokov at 9:32 of the second period, but Nelson tipped Matt Donovan’s point shot around Niemi at 17:02 to bring New York back within one. Havlat answered 1:13 later with a quick shot from the left faceoff circle and Nielsen flipped a backhand in the slot past Niemi with 21.4 seconds remaining.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Islanders F Michael Grabner missed the game with a concussion suffered on Monday. He is out indefinitely. … Sharks F Raffi Torres missed a third straight contest due to soreness. … Lee, 23, has six goals and three assists in eight games this season.