Jean-Gabriel Pageau had a goal and two assists Saturday night for the retooled New York Islanders, who beat the host San Jose Sharks 4-2.
Anthony Duclair scored in the first to give the Islanders a lead they would not relinquish in their first game without Brock Nelson, who spent his entire 12-year career with New York before he was dealt to the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday.
Anders Lee and Adam Boqvist scored in the third for the Islanders, who have won four of five (4-1-0) to move within three points of the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Goalie Ilya Sorokin made 38 saves.
Nikolai Kovalenko scored in the second and Will Smith had a goal late in the third for the Sharks, who lost for the 19th time in 23 games (4-16-3). San Jose has 43 points, the fewest in the NHL
Goalie Alexander Georgiev recorded 24 saves.
The Sharks collected 17 of the first 18 shots, including 12 in a row before Duclair’s power-play goal just beyond the midway point of the period. The left winger was credited with just his third goal in the last 24 games when his shot from the right faceoff circle glanced off the stick of San Jose defenseman Mario Ferraro and fluttered past Georgiev with 9:17 left.
Pageau doubled the lead with 38.4 seconds left, when he took a pass from Noah Dobson in the left faceoff circle and fired a shot over Georgiev’s glove.
The Sharks cut the lead in half with a power-play goal 6:27 into the second, when Shakir Mukhamadullin’s shot glanced off the stick of Kovalenko and went past Sorokin as he was screened by San Jose center Klim Kostin.
The Islanders added insurance goals within the first four minutes of the third. Pageau won a faceoff deep in the Sharks’ zone and the puck bounced to Simon Holmstrom and then Lee, who whirled and fired a shot under Georgiev’s glove at the 1:13 mark.
The Islanders scored again on the power play just 2:38 later, when Boqvist’s shot from the high slot sailed past Georgiev’s stick as he was screened by Lee.
Smith scored with 1:27 left after Georgiev was pulled for the extra attacker.
–Field Level Media
