Islanders 8, Oilers 1
NEW YORK -- Right winger Kyle Okposo scored a hat trick Sunday afternoon as the New York Islanders snapped out of a slump and moved back into playoff position in the Eastern Conference with an 8-1 rout of the Edmonton Oilers at Barclays Center.
Five other players -- defenseman Johnny Boychuk, center John Tavares, left winger Nikolay Kulemin, center Josh Bailey and right winger Cal Clutterbuck -- all scored a goal apiece for the Islanders. The eight goals were the most for New York since it beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 9-3 on Feb. 11, 2011.
With the win, the Islanders (27-18-6) snapped a 1-3-0 skid and moved from fifth place in the Metropolitan Division to third place and from ninth in the Eastern Conference into a tie for sixth.
Goalie Thomas Greiss made 30 saves.
Rookie center Connor McDavid scored for the Oilers (21-28-5), who have lost two straight, five of seven and nine of 13.
Starting goalie Anders Nilsson was chased after allowing three goals on 10 first period shots. Goalie Cam Talbot finished up with 16 saves.
The Islanders chased Nilsson by scoring three times in the first 8:36.
Boychuk, playing his first home game since Dec. 27, put the Islanders ahead 1-0 by firing a sizzling slap shot from the blue line that sailed under the glove of Nilsson.
Tavares extended the lead to 2-0 at the 9:12 mark following a nifty sequence. Tavares was skating up along the left boards with the puck when he came to a complete stop and passed to center Ryan Strome. Having shed Oilers defenseman Justin Schultz, Tavares then swooped in, took a pass from Strome and fired a shot past Nilsson.
Kulemin put back a shot by center Frans Nielsen just 2:12 later to end Nilsson's afternoon.
Okposo scored twice in a span of 3:37 early in the second to extend the Islanders lead to 5-0. He scored a power-play goal at 2:32 before an impressive effort just in front of the blue line led to his second goal. Okposo corralled a loose puck, shot as he turned toward the net and watched as the puck sailed through a gaggle of players in front of the goalmouth.
McDavid ended the shutout 41 seconds later, when he picked up a puck that Islanders defenseman Calvin de Haan tried batting out of the goalmouth. McDavid's first stab at putting the puck in was turned back by Greiss but the top pick in last year's draft found the net on his second try.
Bailey deflected a shot by center Anders Lee just before the midway point of the period and Clutterbuck lengthened the lead to 7-1 by scoring with 3:56 remaining.
Okposo completed the hat trick 7:27 into the third.
NOTES: The Islanders played on Super Bowl Sunday for the eighth time in franchise history. The Oilers have also played eight times on Super Bowl on Sunday since the World Hockey Association merged with the NHL prior to the 1979-80 season. ... The Islanders scratched RW Steve Bernier, G Jean-Francois Berube and D Marek Zidlicky. ... Islanders G Thomas Greiss made his first start since Jan. 12, a span of seven games. ... The Oilers scratched D Adam Clendening, C Anton Lender and D Darnell Nurse. ... Oilers G Anders Nilsson was pulled for the third time this season. His replacement, Cam Talbot, has also been pulled from a game three times.