Kuhnhackl's Whacky Goals Lead Islanders To 5-2 Win Over Canucks
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) — Tom Kuhnhackl scored two circus-like goals to lead the New York Islanders to a 5-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday night.
Jordan Eberle had a goal and an assist and Josh Bailey also scored to help the Islanders end a three-game skid. Mathew Barzal and Brock Nelson each had two assists and Thomas Greiss stopped 22 shots as New York improved to 5-0-2 in the last seven meetings against Vancouver.
Kuhnhackl got his second of the game in the third period as Eberle's pass deflected off Kuhnhackl's stick, a Vancouver defenseman's stick, and then Kuhnhackl's own skate and in to push the Islanders' lead to 4-2. The goal stood after a video review, giving Kuhnhackl his first career multi-goal game.
Cal Clutterbuck scored a power-play goal with 2:54 left, the Islanders' first in four games with the man-advantage.
Trailing 3-1 after one period, the Canucks pulled within one on a power-play goal early in the second as Virtanen knocked in a rebound in front for his eighth of the season at 2:51.
The Islanders went ahead with two goals 45 seconds apart. Kuhnhackl tied it as he swiped a backhander from his knees while falling down below the left circle, and the puck managed to sneak in between Markstrom's right pad and the post at 5:11.
New York went ahead when Bailey tried to send a pass across to Anders Lee at the right side of the net, but the puck deflected off the skate of Vancouver defenseman Christopher Tanev and in at 5:56. It was Bailey's sixth of the season. Barzal's assist on the play gave him 100 points for his career.
Eberle pushed the Islanders' lead to 3-1 as he took a pass from Brock Nelson from the left corner and poked it past Markstrom from the right side in front with 5:10 left in the opening period. Nelson got his 200th career point.
NOTES:
Islanders forward Andrew Ladd injured his right leg late in the second period, and did not play in the third. Eberle has 19 goals and 10 assists in 38 career games against the Canucks.
Nelson has four assists and 11 points in his last 11 games. New York improved to 8-0-2 when leading after two periods. Jennifer Botterill, a three-time Olympic gold medalist on Canada's women's hockey team, made her debut as an analyst on the Islanders broadcast on MSG Network. She joined Shannon Burke, Butch Goring and Brendan Burke.
UP NEXT:
The Islanders host the crosstown-rival Rangers on Thursday night.
(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
