Canucks 5, Islanders 4 (OT)
UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- Brad Richardson's goal with 2:44 left in overtime Tuesday night lifted the Vancouver Canucks to a 5-4 win over the New York Islanders at Nassau Coliseum.
Richardson took a pass from Mike Santorelli and threaded the puck between Evgeni Nabokov legs to cap a wild back-and-forth game that featured four goals in the first 10 minutes of the first period, three ties and two lead changes.
The Canucks (6-4-1) came back from a 2-0 first-period deficit to snap a two-game losing streak and improve to 2-1-1 on a season-long seven-game road trip -- the franchise's longest road trip since an NHL-record 14-game journey during and after the 2010 Winter Olympics, which took place in Vancouver.
Ryan Kesler, Daniel Sedin, Henrik Sedin and Chris Huggins all scored for the Canucks and goaltender Roberto Luongo made 28 saves.
The Islanders forced overtime with 1:12 left in regulation, when Andrew MacDonald's shot into a gaggle of players in the Vancouver goalmouth bounced off a player and to Frans Nielsen, who poked it into the left corner of the net.
Matt Moulson scored twice and Brock Nelson scored his first NHL goal for the Islanders (3-3-3), who lost their second straight. They squandered a two-goal lead in a loss for the second time this season and have blown leads in four of their six losses.
Nelson got the Islanders on the board 2:26 into the game. The Islanders doubled the lead 2:15 later, when Moulson put back the rebound of his own shot.
But Moulson's goal had not even been announced at the Coliseum when the Canucks won the subsequent faceoff and Dan Hamhuis fired a shot off the chest of Nabokov. Kesler, trailing the play, put the rebound back.
The Canucks tied it a little more than four minutes later, when Jannik Hansen threaded a pass through traffic to Daniel Sedin, who beat Nabokov.
The Islanders took the lead on Moulson's second goal 4:48 into the second when his shot sailed past the glove of Luongo.
Vancouver got the equalizer at 12:39, when Nabokov's deflection of Daniel Sedin's shot bounced to Henrik Sedin, who put it into the left corner of the net.
Vancouver finally took the lead with 18 seconds left in the period. Kevin Bieksa stole the puck at center ice and passed to Higgins, who scored easily as Nabokov was frozen going to his right.
NOTES: Islanders RW Michael Grabner served the first game of a two-game suspension for delivering a check to the head of Carolina's Nathan Gerbe on Saturday night. He's eligible to return next Tuesday, when the Islanders host the Rangers. ... The Islanders also played without D Lubomir Visnovsky, who suffered a concussion when he was checked into the boards Saturday and was placed on injured reserve. Visnovsky is eligible to return Saturday, when the Islanders host the Flyers, though he may need a longer stint on the shelf. ... In addition to Grabner, the Islanders scratched LW Eric Boulton. The Canucks scratched LW David Booth, C Zac Dalpe and D Yannick Weber. ... Canucks LW Chris Higgins, who grew up about 45 minutes from Nassau Coliseum in Smithtown, had between 40 and 50 family members and friends at the game. ... LW Alex Burrows was on the ice during the morning skate for the Canucks. He suffered a foot injury Oct. 3 and has yet to appear in a regular season game.
