Panthers slip past Islanders 2-1
NEW YORK -- Jason Demers scored the go-ahead goal early in the second period Wednesday night as the Florida Panthers edged the New York Islanders 2-1 at Barclays Center in a rematch of last spring's Eastern Conference quarterfinal series.
Jason Yandle also scored for the Panthers (19-16-8), who won their second straight. Florida also snapped a six-game stretch in which it alternated losses with wins.
Roberto Luongo made 29 saves for the Panthers. The Islanders outshot Florida 12-1 in the third period, mounting several threats in front of Luongo -- including one that ended with Luongo turning back a handful of put-back chances by Casey Cizikas before the goalie and Cizikas traded punches at the bottom of a pile in front of the net.
Nick Leddy scored for the Islanders (15-16-8), who lost their third straight game (0-1-2), all by 2-1 scores. New York goalie Thomas Greiss made 22 saves.
The Panthers took the lead 5:47 into the first, when Yandle's shot from the left faceoff circle sailed past a pair of Islanders -- Cizikas and Cal Clutterbuck -- and under the stick arm of Greiss.
The Islanders tied it exactly five minutes later, when Luongo was screened by teammates Demers and Reilly Smith and didn't make a move to stop a seemingly harmless slap shot by Leddy that sailed just to the left of his glove.
Demers redeemed himself just 1:09 into the second. Jussi Jokinen won a faceoff deep in the Islanders zone and the puck bounced to Demers. His shot from just behind the right faceoff dot went in between New York center Anders Lee, who reached out with his stick, and defenseman Thomas Hickey, who crouched for the block, and past the outstretched glove of Greiss.
NOTES: Longtime Islanders television announcer Jiggs McDonald, who was behind the microphone for the last three of New York's four straight Stanley Cups in the early '80s, dropped the ceremonial puck before broadcasting the game for MSG Networks. ... The Islanders scratched D Travis Hamonic (lower body), who is day-to-day with an injury suffered Saturday night, as well as LW Anthony Beauvillier and RW Stephen Gionta. ... The Panthers scratched D Greg McKegg (upper body) as well as D Dylan McIlrath. Florida head coach Tom Rowe said he expected McKegg to play Friday, when the Panthers host the Islanders. ... Islanders C John Tavares and Panthers C Vincent Trocheck each played for the first time since being selected to appear in the NHL All-Star Game, scheduled for Jan. 29.