Flyers 5, Islanders 2
UNIONDALE, N.Y. - Vinny Lecavalier scored a hat trick to help lift the Philadelphia Flyers to a 5-2 win over the New York Islanders at the Nassau Coliseum Saturday night.
After scoring two goals in the first period, Lecavalier netted his third at 8:13 of the third period. He started the sequence by stealing the puck from Thomas Hickey at Flyers blue line and then finished it by putting it into the empty net after Kevin Poulin came out of his crease to challenge a potential shot by Maxime Talbot.
In his eighth start of the year, Steve Mason had 26 saves to earn the win as the Flyers improved to 3-7-0, winning their second straight game for the first time this season.
Poulin made 28 saves in his second start - and loss of the year -- as the Islanders fell to 4-4-3.
The Flyers raced out to a 2-0 lead, scoring on their first two shots of the first period.
Philadelphia entered the game with the second-to-worst power play in the NHL, but needed just 20 seconds with the man advantage to take a 1-0 lead when Lecavalier's slap shot deflected off the stick of Islanders defenseman Travis Hamonic and past Kevin Poulin at 4:30 of the first period.
Philadelphia made it 2-0 one minute later when Jakub Voracek raced around Matt Carkner and put a low shot into the net for his first goal of the year.
Kyle Okposo pulled the Islanders a goal back at 10:16 of the first period, beating Flyers goaltender Steve Mason with a slap shot from the point for his fourth goal of the year.
However, Lecavalier once again gave the Flyers a two-goal lead with 1:47 left in the third period when he batted in his own rebound after cutting inside of Carkner. He now has 49 points (26 goals, 23 assists) in 51 career games against the Islanders.
Frans Nielsen continued his hot play with his team-leading seventh goal of the year to cut the Islanders deficit to 3-2 at 11:30 of the second period. The Islanders center took a pass from Peter Regin and beat Mason with a low backhand stick side for the shorthanded tally.
However, Lecavalier and Matt Read (empty net) scored in the third period as the Flyers beat the Rangers and Islanders in consecutive games.
NOTES: Flyers D Mark Streit made his return to Long Island after playing five years for the Islanders and serving as the captain from 2011-13. ... Flyers LW Scott Hartnell returned to the lineup after missing four games with an upper-body injury. ... Islanders LW Michael Grabner returned to the lineup after serving a two-game suspension for a hit to the head of Nathan Gerbe of the Carolina Hurricanes last Saturday. ... The Islanders scratched RW Colin McDonald, C Brock Nelson and D Brian Strait. ... The Flyers scratched RW Adam Hall, D Andrej Meszaros and D Hal Gill. ... Islanders C John Tavares assisted on a Kyle Okposo goal in the first period to extend his scoring streak to 10 games. His career-high is 12 games in 2011-12. ... Islanders C Frans Nielsen's short-handed goal in the second period extended his goal-scoring streak to four straight games.
