Islanders 6, Rangers 4
NEW YORK -- Cal Clutterbuck scored the tiebreaking goal with 1:28 left in regulation to lead the New York Islanders to a wild 6-4 win over the New York Rangers on Sunday afternoon at Madison Square Garden.
Johnny Boychuk scored twice, and Brock Nelson, Kyle Okposo and Frans Nielsen each added goals for the Islanders, who won their three straight. Boychuk, Okposo, Nielsen and Nick Leddy each finished with two points as the Islanders (36-20-7) improved to 3-0 against the Rangers this season. The teams will meet once more in the regular season, April 7 at Madison Square Garden.
Jaroslav Halak made 22 saves on 26 shots against a Rangers squad that lost for the second time in three games.
Oscar Lindberg, Tanner Glass, Eric Staal and Derick Brassard scored for the Rangers (38-22-6). Antti Raanta finished with 26 saves.
Clutterbuck's snap shot following an offensive-zone faceoff allowed the Islanders to regain a lead they would not relinquish. Nielsen added an empty-netter with 1:01 left to put the game out of reach.
Down 4-3 with 8:21 left in the third period, the Rangers got the tying goal from Brassard on a one-timer from the right circle that beat Halak glove side.
The game was explosive from the opening puck drop. At the first intermission, the Islanders led 4-3.
According to Elias Sports Bureau, the last time the Rangers and an opponent combined for seven goals in a period was April 19, 2013, at Buffalo.
The Islanders scored the first three goals in a span of 4:45. The Rangers got the next two, both in the 12th minute, before Boychuk gave the Islanders a 4-2 edge at 13:14. The Rangers responded 31 seconds later, slicing the lead to one again.
Neither team scored in the second period.
NOTES: G Henrik Lundqvist and D Marc Staal did not play. Lundqvist is still recovering from neck spasms after a collision with D Ryan McDonagh in the 4-1 loss to Pittsburgh on Thursday. Staal is out with back spasms caused by dehydration. He was replaced in the lineup by D Dylan McIlrath. ... Rangers coach Alain Vigneault announced LW Rick Nash could practice with the team this week. Nash has been out since Jan. 22 with a deep bone bruise in his left leg. ... The Islanders scratched G Thomas Greiss, D Ryan Pulock, RW Steve Bernier and LW Eric Boulton. D Calvin de Haan (lower body) and C Mikhail Grabovski (upper body) missed the game with injuries. ... Pulock, the 15th pick in the 2013 draft, will "get his ice time," Islanders coach Jack Capuano said. "He's definitely going to play." The Islanders called up Pulock from AHL Bridgeport on Tuesday.