Tavares Gets Hat Trick, Leads Islanders Over Panthers 5-2
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SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — John Tavares scored three goals for his sixth career hat trick and the New York Islanders snapped a three-game losing streak with a 5-2 win over the Florida Panthers on Friday night.
Nick Leddy had a goal and two assists, and Jason Chimera also scored for the Islanders. Thomas Greiss made 26 saves.
Vincent Trocheck had a goal and an assist for the Panthers. Reilly Smith also scored for Florida, Keith Yandle added a pair of assists and Jaromir Jagr recorded his 1,138th NHL assist. Roberto Luongo stopped 37 shots.
Tavares' second goal gave the Islanders a 4-2 lead at 7:50 of the third for his 500th NHL point.
Tavares added an empty-net goal with 1:44 left for the hat trick.
Trailing 3-1, the Panthers made the score 3-2 on the power-play when Smith took a shot from the point that got by Greiss with 18:18 left in the third.
The Islanders scored two goals on their first two shots in a span of 1:26 in the first. Chimera put the Islanders ahead 1-0 when he backhanded in a rebound under Luongo's pads at 2:22.
Tavares' first goal made it 2-0 on a wrist shot from the left circle at 3:48.
The Panthers closed to 2-1 after Trocheck took a pass from behind the net by Jagr in front of the crease and swept it past Greiss at 9:55 of the first. The goal was Trocheck's team-leading 13th and 50th career goal.
The Islanders stretched their lead to 3-1 on Leddy's goal when he fired a shot from the side boards above the left circle that went over Luongo's right shoulder at 16:06 of the second.
The Panthers killed off a full two-minute 5-on-3 penalty midway through the second period, and again for 1:25 in the third.
NOTES: Panthers C Aleksander Barkov is "week-to-week" with an undisclosed injury, according to Panthers interim coach Tom Rowe. Barkov has missed eight games. ... Rowe says that F Jonathan Huberdeau, who was hurt in the last preseason game, won't return until March, at the earliest. ... Jagr has 10 points in his last 12 games. ... The Islanders have played four of their past five on the road. They have games at Carolina and Boston before returning home to face Dallas on Jan. 19.
UP NEXT:
Islanders: Visits Carolina on Saturday.
Panthers: Hosts Columbus on Saturday.
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