Brock Nelson scored twice in the second period and collected an assist during a three-goal opening period as the New York Islanders started quickly and earned a 7-4 victory over the Nashville Predators on Saturday afternoon in Elmont, N.Y.
Ilya Sorokin was credited with a goalie goal into an empty net with 12 seconds remaining and made 23 saves as Islanders improved to 8-2-0 in their past 10 home games
Nelson earned an assist for the fifth straight game when he set up Kyle Palmieri’s power-play goal with about 8 1/2 minutes remaining. Nelson netted a shorthanded goal 2:38 into the second and struck again with 3:39 left in the second.
Nelson notched his third multi-goal game this season and tied a season best with his third three-point showing.
Jean-Gabriel Pageau started the opening period scoring and Bo Horvat tallied late in the first when the Islanders outshot the Predators by a 19-3 margin. Adam Boqvist and Simon Holmstrom collected two assists apiece for the Islanders, who began the day seven points out of the Eastern Conference’s second wild card spot.
Casey Cizikas scored in the third period as the Islanders set a season-high for goals.
Cole Smith scored twice in the third while Colton Sissons and Marc Del Gaizo tallied for the Predators, who lost for the third time in four games.
Nashville goalie Juuse Saros allowed six goals on 36 shots.
Nashville took the loss after putting defenseman Roman Josi on injured reserve with an upper-body injury. The Predators also held out Gustav Nyquist and ultimately traded him to the Minnesota Wild in a deal that became official during the game.
The Islanders opened the scoring 2:37 into the contest when Pageau got a centering pass from behind the net by Cizikas and lifted a one-timer from below the right circle into the net.
New York took a 2-0 lead shortly into its first power play. Nelson won the offensive zone faceoff, Palmieri knocked Boqvist’s shot down and backhanded the puck into the open left side of the net.
The Islanders took a three-goal lead after Horvat intercepted a clearing pass from Smith. Horvat quickly dished to Anders Lee, crashed the net and following a kick save by Sarros, he lifted the rebound of Lee’s shot into the open right side of the net.
After Sissons scored, Nelson converted Holmstrom’s cross-ice feed for his first goal.
The Predators moved within 4-2 when Del Gaizo lifted the puck into an open net 4:58 into the second and Nelson lifted the puck into the right side of the net after getting a long pass from Alexander Romanov.
–Field Level Media
