Pavelski, Sharks nip Isles with late goal
NEW YORK -- Joe Pavelski scored the winning goal on a deflection with 2:11 left Tuesday night as the San Jose Sharks edged the New York Islanders 3-2 at Barclays Center.
Joe Thornton fired a shot from the right faceoff circle into a gaggle of players from both teams in front of the net. The puck ticked off Pavelski's stick and sailed past teammate Tomas Hertl as well as Islanders defensemen Travis Hamonic and Nick Leddy and goalie Jaroslav Halak.
Pavelski was whistled for delay of game with 1:06 left, but the Sharks held the Islanders to two shots -- including one by Brock Nelson that deflected off goalie Aaron Dell as time expired -- on the abbreviated power play.
Melker Karlsson scored in the first period and Hertl added a goal in the waning moments of the second period for the Sharks (3-1-0), who bounced back from a 7-4 loss to the New York Rangers on Monday night.
Dell notched 21 saves to record the win in his NHL debut.
Rookie Anthony Beauvillier and Anders Lee scored in a span of just over two minutes in the second period for the Islanders (1-3-0). Halak recorded 24 saves.
The Sharks enjoyed a 10-4 shot advantage in the first period and took a 1-0 lead at 5:36 thanks to a defensive breakdown by the Islanders. Tommy Wingels skated alone behind the New York net before dishing to Karlsson, who was wide open at the edge of the crease and beat Halak from point-blank range.
The Islanders tied the score and took the lead in a span of just 2:10 around the midway point of the second. Beauvillier was credited with his first NHL goal at 9:49, when Dell accidentally batted the puck into the net on Beauvillier's second put-back attempt.
Lee put the Islanders ahead when Jason Chimera's backhanded pass hit Lee as he skated toward the net. Lee was covered by Paul Martin but managed to corral the puck and fire it through Chris Tierney's and past Dell's glove.
The Sharks answered with an in-traffic goal with 1:57 remaining in the middle period. Hertl was stationed in the crease and shadowed by Johnny Boychuk when Joe Thornton's pass from the faceoff circle ticked off his skate and under Halak's left leg.
NOTES: The Islanders scratched C Mathew Barzal and G Jean-Francois Berube. ... Islanders C Casey Cizikas, who played just 38 seconds after the second period Sunday night after suffering a leg injury while blocking a shot, was active. ... The Sharks scratched C Ryan Carpenter, D Dylan DeMelo and LW Matt Nieto. ... Aaron Dell became the 12th goalie to make his NHL debut for the Sharks. ... Dell and Islanders LW Brock Nelson were teammates at the University of North Dakota during the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons. ... The Sharks' current five-game road trip is their second longest of the season, while the Islanders' current five-game homestand is one of three homestands five games or longer this season.