National Hockey League
BOXSCORE | RECAP
NY Islanders 5, Toronto 3
When: 7:00 PM ET, Tuesday, January 7, 2014
Where: Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario
Referees: Dave Jackson, Kyle Rehman
Linesmen: David Brisebois, Jonny Murray
Attendance: 19164

Islanders 5, Maple Leafs 3: Captain John Tavares celebrated earning a spot on Canada’s 2014 Olympic team with three assists as New York won for the fourth time in five trips to Toronto.

Kyle Okposo scored in his first game as a father, defenseman Calvin de Haan netted his first NHL goal and Michael Grabner had a tally and an assist as the Islanders won their fifth consecutive road contest. Frans Nielsen and Cal Clutterbuck also scored and Kevin Poulin made 23 saves for his fourth victory in five appearances.

Tyler Bozak, Mason Raymond and Joffrey Lupul replied for the Maple Leafs, who dropped their second straight home contest to a New York team after losing 7-1 to the Rangers on Saturday. Jonathan Bernier stopped 20 shots, but has allowed nine goals in two starts since the Winter Classic.

After the first period ended in a 1-1 tie, Bernier went to play the puck but couldn’t handle it in the restricted area and Grabner beat him to the other side of the net with a wraparound 3:06 into the second. Raymond put a rebound over Poulin from the side of the net on a power play with 11:35 remaining in the period to restore the deadlock.

Nielsen gave New York a 3-2 lead during a power play 3:41 into the third when he knocked home a loose puck in the slot and de Haan extended the advantage 2:20 later when his shot from the point on a rush fooled Bernier. Nazem Kadri’s shot deflected off Lupul in the slot with 3:05 remaining to make it a one-goal game, but Clutterbuck iced the contest on an empty-net goal with 8.3 seconds left.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Bozak redirected a shot by D Paul Ranger to open the scoring 5:05 into the contest and Okposo - who missed Monday’s game to attend the birth of his daughter - tied the game with a long wrist shot in the final minute of the first period. … LW Thomas Vanek assisted on Nielsen’s power-play goal, extending his point streak to 10 games. Vanek and Grabner were both named to Austria’s Olympic squad. … Tavares is on a seven-game point streak and has 14 in his last four contests. … Kadri had a pair of assists for his first multi-point effort since Dec. 5.
Top Game Performances
 
NY Islanders   Toronto
John Tavares 3 Points Nazem Kadri 2
Michael Grabner 1 Goals Tyler Bozak 1
John Tavares 3 Assists Nazem Kadri 2
Frans Nielsen 1 Power Play Goals Mason Raymond 1
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Kevin Poulin .885 Save Percentage Jonathan Bernier .833
Kevin Poulin 23 Saves Jonathan Bernier 20
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
NY Islanders 25 5 1-1 4-5 10 24
Toronto 26 3 1-5 0-1 2 38
Upcoming Games
  • Toronto will play their next game on the road against Carolina. The Maple Leafs have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .455 after a loss.
  • NY Islanders will play their next game on the road against Colorado. The Islanders have a W/L % of .312 after a win and .379 after a loss.