Fast start by Hamonic, Islanders deflates Maple Leafs
NEW YORK -- Travis Hamonic scored 61 seconds into the first period Sunday night to give the New York Islanders a lead they'd never relinquish in a 5-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs at Barclays Center.
Casey Cizikas scored later in the first while Shane Prince and Brock Nelson added goals during a span under three minutes early in the third for the Islanders (4-5-0), who snapped a two-game losing streak in the opener of a five-game homestand. Josh Bailey added another insurance goal with 43.4 seconds remaining.
Goalie Thomas Greiss recorded 33 saves.
Jake Gardiner scored in the first minute of the third period for the Maple Leafs (2-4-3), who have lost two straight and six of seven (1-4-2). Goalie Jhonas Enroth notched 30 saves.
Hamonic's goal -- in which his shot from the right faceoff circle went under the glove of Enroth -- was the earliest score of the season for the Islanders and their first goal in the first period since Oct. 21.
Cizikas doubled the lead at 7:22, when he swooped in after Enroth turned back a shot by Cal Clutterbuck and put the rebound into the left corner of the net while Enroth was leaning to the right.
The Islanders nursed the lead for more than 32 minutes until Gardiner finally cut the gap in half 50 seconds into the third. Teammate James van Riemsdyk provided a perfect screen in front of Greiss as Gardiner's shot sailed under the glove of the New York netminder.
Enroth unwittingly helped create the Islanders' third goal when his clearing attempt from behind the Maple Leafs' net took a bad bounce. Prince swooped in on the loose puck and fired a shot under Enroth's stick at the 5:08 mark.
Nelson set up his score 2:39 later by winning a faceoff deep in Toronto's zone. Nelson circled back around, took a pass from Prince and beat Enroth.
NOTES: The Islanders scratched C Matthew Barzal, G Jean-Francois Berube and RW Alan Quine. ... Islanders G Jaroslav Halak backed up Thomas Greiss on Sunday, one day after Halak's agent, Allan Walsh, tweeted his displeasure with the Islanders keeping three goalies active and Halak getting only one "quality practice" prior to Thursday's loss against the Pittsburgh Penguins. SNY reported Sunday that Halak asked for a trade last spring. ... The Maple Leafs scratched D Matt Hunwick (lower body), D Frank Corrando and C Peter Holland. ... Maple Leafs RW Matt Martin, who played his first seven seasons with the Islanders before signing with Toronto in July, received a standing ovation during a video tribute that aired following a first period timeout.