Islanders 6, Sharks 3
NEW YORK - Right winger Kyle Okposo scored a tiebreaking goal 4:18 into the third period as the New York Islanders defeated the San Jose Sharks 6-3 at Barclays Center on Saturday night.
The loss snapped the Sharks' four-game winning streak to start the season.
Islanders goaltender Jaroslav Halak stopped 22 shots in his season debut after recovering from an upper-body injury.
Defenseman Johnny Boychuk and left wingers Anders Lee and Josh Bailey added goals for the Islanders (3-1-1). Right winger Brock Nelson added an insurance goal with 8:50 remaining and center Frans Nielsen scored an empty-netter with 2:58 remaining.
Center Joe Pavelski, left wing Nikolay Goldobin and right wing Joel Ward scored for the Sharks (4-1-0). Goaltender Alex Stalock made 28 saves in his first action of the season.
Pavelski's second goal of the season gave the Sharks a 1-0 lead. A blast from the point by defenseman Justin Braun deflected off Pavelski and Halak before bouncing across the goal line with 6:56 remaining in the first period.
Islanders coach Jack Capuano challenged the goal but referees ruled Pavelski's contact with Halak was legal.
Center Mikhail Grabovski was awarded a penalty shot after Sharks defenseman Brenden Dillon was whistled for hooking. Stalock, however, responded with a right pad save.
Boychuk pulled the Islanders into a 1-1 tie at 21 seconds of the second period. Center John Tavares won an offensive draw, which allowed Boychuk to hammer a long shot that hit the far post and ricocheted into the net behind Stalock.
Twenty seconds later, Goldobin put the Sharks back in front. Center Joe Thornton hit Goldobin with a cross-ice pass off a rush for an easy tap-in that eluded Halak.
Lee tied the score at 2-2 at 2:27 on a bizarre goal. Lee banked the puck off Stalock and into the net about a second after Stalock removed his own mask during the play. The officials convened afterward and allowed the goal to stand.
The Sharks grabbed their third lead of the game when Ward converted a 2-on-1 rush with left winger Matt Nieto at 9:20. Boychuk was trapped in the offensive zone, leaving defenseman Nick Leddy alone and unable to thwart the odd-man attack that made it 3-2.
Bailey capped the scoring on a wild second period with his second goal of the season. He deflected a shot by center Frans Nielsen with 6:02 remaining to draw the Islanders into a 3-3 tie.
NOTES: While G Jaroslav Halak made his season debut, G Thomas Greiss wasn't dressed as a backup despite starting three of the Islanders' first four games. Instead, G Jean-Francois Berube was on the bench. ... D Brian Strait and RW Steve Bernier were also scratched by the Islanders. ... The Sharks played their second game without C Logan Couture, who is expected to miss 4-to-6 weeks with a fractured fibula. ... D Paul Martin did not play because of a lower-body injury. He had played in all four Sharks games this season.