NEW YORK (AP) - With their hold on a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference faltering, the New York Islanders rallied from a late deficit to get a needed win.
Mathew Barzal tied the score with just under four minutes remaining in the third period, and Anthony Beauvillier scored his second goal of the game 2:52 into overtime to give the Islanders a 4-3 win over the Dallas Stars on Tuesday night.
“This was a huge two points for us tonight,” Beauvillier said. “Lot of character for us tonight.”
After a strong start to the season that included a franchise-record 17-game point streak (15-0-2), New York has struggled to sustain success. The Islanders began the day clinging to the second wild card spot in the East, though they have games in hand on teams directly ahead of them.
Derick Brassard also scored for the Islanders, who are 2-0-2 in their last four games but have just three wins in nine games (3-3-3). Semyon Varlamov made 28 saves to earn his 16th career win against the Stars, his most against any opponent.
John Klingberg, Denis Gurianov and Jason Dickinson scored for the Stars, while Ben Bishop made 37 saves.
Dallas, vying for a sweep of its three-game trip to the New York area, took a 3-2 lead 6:56 into the third period as Klingberg’s shot from near the blue line managed to beat Varlamov. It was his first goal since Dec. 1.
Brock Nelson appeared to tie the score with 5:27 remaining, but the goal was taken off the board after Dallas challenged for goalie interference.
The Islanders’ power play finally broke through on its fifth opportunity of the night when Barzal tied it.
“That’s a good character test,” Barry Trotz said. “When you get one called back and you’re fighting for every point right now, and you have to go get another one, and we did.”
Beauvillier then beat Bishop on a breakaway in the extra period as the Islanders improved to 5-0-3 in Brooklyn this season.
“The bench was great,” Trotz said. “They believe the game isn’t over until the final buzzer goes.”
Beauvillier opened the scoring 90 seconds into the game, beating Bishop with a backhand shot from the right side. It was his fourth goal in the last seven games. The goal also marked the eighth straight game that the Stars had allowed their opponent to score first.
“They came out ready to play,” Bishop said. “They are a good team and they pounced early.”
New York had two power plays in the first 10 minutes of the game, but were unable to double their lead.
The Stars capitalized where the Islanders couldn’t. With Casey Cizikas sitting for interference, Gurianov tied the score at 1-1 with 5:52 left in the first. The goal was Gurianov’s second against the Islanders this season.
The Islanders outshot the Stars 18-7 in the first.
“They are a good team - a lot of firepower,” Beauvillier said. “We did a good job containing them and keeping them on the outside. It was a tough game.”
New York failed to score on two early power plays in the second. The Islanders came in converting just 12.1 percent of their power plays over their last 16 games, ranking second to last in the NHL over that span.
Dickinson beat Varlamov from the slot with 7:48 left in the second period to put Dallas up 2-1. Dickinson has scored twice in his last three games.
Dallas’ lead didn’t last for long though, as Brassard tied it just 86 seconds later, snapping an 18-game goal-scoring drought.
NOTES: F Kieffer Bellows made his NHL debut for the Islanders. Drafted 19th overall in 2016, Bellows replaced Tom Kuhnhackl in the lineup and picked up his first career point with an assist on Brassard’s goal. … Roman Polak replaced Stephen Johns in the Stars’ lineup after serving as a healthy scratch in their last game. … Scratches also included Taylor Fedun and Joel Kiviranta for Dallas and Sebastian Aho and Ross Johnston for New York. … The Islanders are 10-0-3 in their last 13 regular season games at Barclays Center. Five of the eight games in Brooklyn this season have gone past regulation. … Barzal leads New York with 12 points in eight games at Barclays Center this year.
UP NEXT:
Stars: Host Minnesota on Friday night.
Islanders: Host Los Angeles on Thursday night.
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