{{pageModel.leagueAbbr}} {{pageModel.subtitle}} | Las Vegas Review-Journal
National Hockey League
BOXSCORE | RECAP
NY Islanders 5, Detroit 4
When: 5:00 PM ET, Sunday, March 29, 2015
Where: Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, New York
Referees: Francis Charron, Dave Jackson
Linesmen: Michel Cormier, Darren Gibbs
Attendance: 16170

Islanders 5, Red Wings 4: Captain John Tavares set up three goals as host New York held on for its first win in eight home games.

Cal Clutterbuck, Ryan Strome, Kyle Okposo, Brock Nelson and Frans Nielsen scored for the Islanders, who were 0-6-1 in their previous seven home contests and remained even with Pittsburgh for second place in the Metropolitan Division. Jaroslav Halak made 21 saves in his return to the crease after he was rested on Saturday.

Pavel Datsyuk and Tomas Tatar each recorded a goal and an assist while Drew Miller and defenseman Niklas Kronwall also scored for the Red Wings, whose lead over Boston for third place in the Atlantic was reduced to three points. Petr Mrazek allowed four goals on 11 shots before being replaced by Jimmy Howard, who made 15 saves.

Nielsen put New York in front 4-3 during a power play 16 seconds into the middle period, when his shot from a sharp angle eluded Mrazek to end the goaltender’s evening, and Clutterbuck fooled Howard with a deke on a short-handed breakaway at 3:57 to double the lead. Datsyuk halved the deficit by banging home a rebound while on the man advantage with 9:40 remaining in the period, but the Red Wings were unable to pull even in the third.

Tatar batted in a rebound 39 seconds into the contest and Miller chipped a shot past Halak 67 seconds later, but Nelson responded with a power-play goal at 4:01 and the Islanders surged ahead over the next five minutes on tallies by Strome and Okposo. New York’s lead held for 52 seconds as Kronwall knotted the score with the sixth goal on the game’s opening 10 shots.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The Islanders finished 3-for-4 on the power play, while Detroit was 1-for-3. … Nelson recorded four points (two goals, two assists) in three meetings with the Red Wings this season. … Detroit has scored four goals in each of its last four games. … Tavares trails Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby by two points for the league’s scoring lead.
Top Game Performances
 
Detroit   NY Islanders
Pavel Datsyuk 2 Points John Tavares 3
Pavel Datsyuk 1 Goals Cal Clutterbuck 1
Pavel Datsyuk 1 Assists John Tavares 3
Pavel Datsyuk 1 Power Play Goals Brock Nelson 1
N/A Short Handed Goals Cal Clutterbuck 1
Jimmy Howard .938 Save Percentage Jaroslav Halak .840
Jimmy Howard 15 Saves Jaroslav Halak 21
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Detroit 25 4 1-3 1-4 10 24
NY Islanders 27 5 3-4 2-3 8 31
Upcoming Games
  • NY Islanders will play their next game on the road against Columbus. The Islanders have a W/L % of .636 after a win and .515 after a loss.
  • Detroit will play their next game at home against Ottawa. The Red Wings have a W/L % of .512 after a win and .559 after a loss.