|
 Meyer, who had gone 73 games without a goal before scoring into an empty net at Toronto last Thursday, beat a goalie for the first time since Nov. 24, 2006. He sent a shot in from the right circle and lifted the Islanders to their fourth straight victory.
New York won this one despite taking only 21 shots, two days after firing 49 in a win over Atlanta. In that one, the Islanders set a team record by allowing just 10 shots.
Marcel Goc and Joe Thornton scored for the Sharks, who have dropped the first two of an eight-game road trip. Before falling to the Rangers on Sunday, San Jose had lost an NHL-low five road games.
The Islanders struck against Nabokov, who returned to the game to start the third period after a slap shot by defenseman Radek Martinek broke his mask and cut him on the bridge of the nose.
Thomas Greiss finished the second period for San Jose only hours after he was recalled from Worcester (AHL). Nabokov has started all but one of the Sharks' 59 games this season, and Greiss played the one Nabokov missed on Jan. 13.
Just moments after Thornton gave the Sharks a seemingly safe 2-0 lead 2:14 into the third period, New York's Andy Hilbert and Mike Comrie connected 59 seconds apart to tie it.
New York captain Bill Guerin sent a shot on goal that Nabokov blocked with his stick. Josef Vasicek got a piece of the loose puck before Hilbert knocked it in at 3:22.
Guerin also earned an assist on the tying tally. He chipped the puck out of the Islanders zone to Comrie, who raced up ice. He deftly pushed the puck between the legs of Sharks defenseman Kyle McLaren before beating Nabokov for his 18th goal.
[to top of second column]
 |
Thornton scored his 17th when he got to a deflected shot and ripped a drive past goalie Rick DiPietro, who made 28 saves after winning with just nine Saturday.
Goc staked the Sharks to a 1-0 lead at 2:35 of the second period.
Until then, the game was dominated by the officials. There were seven penalties called during the first period, and the Sharks were given five power plays after earning only one Sunday
-- much to the dismay of coach Ron Wilson, who complained after the game about the lack of calls.
Both teams earned consecutive 5-on-3 power plays for a full 2 minutes, but the clubs combined for only 12 shots in the period
-- seven for San Jose.
Notes: Islanders coach Ted Nolan missed the first period to deal with an undisclosed personal matter. ... Sharks D Douglas Murray received a major penalty for boarding Blake Comeau, and was ejected in the third period. ... Martinek played in his 300th NHL game. ... Islanders D Andy Sutton was helped off the ice with 15.9 seconds left. ... San Jose was 0-for-6 on the power play. The Islanders went 0-for-7.
[Associated Press; By IRA PODELL]
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This
material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or
redistributed.
|
