Islanders 4, Red Wings 1
NEW YORK - Centers Brock Nelson and Josh Bailey and defenseman Marek Zidlicky all scored in the second period on Monday afternoon as the New York Islanders continued their red-hot play at home with a 4-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings at Barclays Center.
The Islanders have won each of their last four home games, during which they have outscored the opposition 22-7 and scored at least three goals in a period five times.
Center Ryan Strome scored in the third period for the Islanders (30-19-6), who moved back into third place in the Metropolitan Division with their fourth win in the last five games (4-1-0). New York also improved to 6-7-2 against the other seven teams currently in playoff position in the Eastern Conference.
Goalie Thomas Greiss continued to make a case for the full-time job by recording 28 saves in winning his fifth straight start dating back to Jan. 3. The Islanders' starting goalie, Jaroslav Halak, has lost four of his last five starts, during which he's allowed 18 goals and been pulled twice.
Center Pavel Datsyuk scored in the third period for the Red Wings (29-19-9), who lost in regulation for the first time in six games.
Goalie Jimmy Howard made 28 saves in losing his eighth straight start dating back to Dec. 8.
The Islanders broke open a scoreless tie with three goals in the span of less than eight minutes in the second.
Nelson put the Islanders ahead and notched his 100th career point in unusual fashion at 8:24. A shot by center Ryan Strome bounced off the stick of Red Wings defenseman Mike Green and into the air, where Nelson waved at it with his stick. Howard then knocked down the puck, but Nelson never broke stride and tucked the puck into the right corner of the net.
The Islanders extended the lead with a pair of second-effort goals 66 seconds apart that turned the game into a rout. Bailey swooped in on a rebound generated when defenseman Johnny Boychuk's shot bounced off Howard and fired a shot under Howard's glove with 5:03 left in the period.
Zidlicky scored his first goal since Dec. 13 when he followed a shot by right winger Cal Clutterbuck, collected the puck as it skittered in front of the goalmouth and backhanded the puck between Howard's legs.
NOTES: The Islanders have played at home on President's Day in each of the last nine seasons in which the NHL has been active on the holiday and in the last 10 President's Days overall. The Red Wings have played on President's Day just four times in that span. ... The Islanders scratched RW Steve Bernier, G Jean-Francouis Berube and D Brian Strait. ... Islanders G Thomas Greiss made his 20th start, tying a career high set with the then-Phoenix Coyotes during the 2013-14 season. ... The Red Wings scratched D Jonathan Ericsson (lower body), D Jakub Kindl and LW Teemu Pulkkinen. ... Red Wings C Pavel Datsyuk was named the NHL's first star of the week after scoring five goals in four games and picking up the 900th point of his career in Sunday's 6-5 win over the Boston Bruins.