Islanders Down Devils, Snapping Two-Game Skid

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The New York Sun

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Rick DiPietro made 25 saves and Shawn Bates had a goal and an assist to help the Islanders end a two-game losing streak with a 4-1 victory over the Devils last night.


Mattias Weinhandl, Oleg Kvasha, and Jason Blake also scored for the Islanders. Vladimir Malakhov scored for the Devils, who dropped their fourth straight.


The Islanders took a 2-0 first-period lead on goals by Weinhandl and Bates. Weinhandl deflected Brad Lukowich’s point shot past Scott Clemmensen at 2:57.


Bates scored from a difficult angle at 11:35 when he took a shot from the right boards as he drove toward the goal line and slipped the puck past Clemmensen.


In the second, Malakhov scored on a 5-on-3 advantage at 7:11 to cut the Islanders’ lead to 2-1. Malakhov, manning the right point, took a cross-ice feed from Paul Martin and fired a shot past DiPietro with Brian Gionta providing an effective screen.


The Islanders countered with a power-play goal by Kvasha with 2:21 remaining in the period. Brent Sopel took a point shot that glanced off Kvasha’s leg.


The Islanders threatened to add another goal in the closing seconds but Jason Blake hit the left post on a shorthanded breakaway.


In the third, the Devils mustered only seven shots and DiPietro turned them all away, including two from close range by Jay Pandolfo.


Blake closed out the scoring on 2-on-1 break with Bates with 1:02 remaining in the game.


Elsewhere around the NHL, Philadelphia downed Boston 4-3 in overtime, Toronto outslugged Washington 6-4, and Montreal got two third-period goals to edge Tampa Bay, 3-2.


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