Karlsson scores in OT, Senators rally to beat Islanders 3-2
OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) Although Erik Karlsson isn't the biggest fan of 3-on-3 hockey, he came through in the frenetic overtime to cap the Ottawa Senators' big comeback win on Saturday night.
The defenseman finished off a cross-ice pass from Bobby Ryan at 3:34 of the extra period to lift the Senators to a 3-2 win over the New York Islanders on Saturday night.
Mike Hoffman tied it with 37 seconds left in regulation to force overtime after Ottawa trailed by two earlier in the period.
''We found a way to get it tied late and the guy on my team that hates 3-on-3 the worst enjoyed it tonight,'' Senators coach Dave Cameron said.
Mark Stone also scored for the Senators, while Karlsson also had two assists. Craig Anderson, making his 10th consecutive start, had 29 saves.
''I think I said it numerous times, he's an elite goaltender and he's a big part of our success,'' Cameron said.
Matt Martin and Josh Bailey gave the Islanders a 2-0 lead before Ottawa stormed back. Jaroslav Halak stopped 26 shots. New York snapped a four-game winning streak, but recorded a point for the seventh straight game (5-0-2).
''There's a lot of things that happen in a game,'' Islanders coach Jack Capuano said. ''You can't fault the guys for their effort, but the way that it unfolded at the end, it had nothing to do with their work ethic or their structure. They (Senators) just got the bounces that they needed.''
The Islanders got on the board 1:49 into the game when Martin picked up a loose puck near the top of the right circle, and fired a shot that deflected off the leg of Senators defenseman Mark Borowiecki and past Anderson.
Ottawa went on the power play twice in the first period but was held to four shots.
An aggressive forecheck by the Islanders held the Senators in their own zone for much of the second period. New York thought it had scored its second goal of the game when Ryan Strome's shot deflected off the crossbar at 5:07.
The Islanders went on the power play for the first time at 5:15 of the third period when Mika Zibanejad took an ill-timed penalty for slashing.
New York capitalized on the opportunity, making it 2-0 at 7:02. Bailey picked up a loose puck to the left of Anderson and outwaited a sliding Borowiecki to lift it into the open net. Anderson made the initial save on the play, but was unable to recover in time to stop the shot from Bailey.
The Senators finally got on the board at 8:58 when Stone fired a one-timer past a partially screened Halak after a give-and go play with Karlsson.
When Ottawa went on the power play late in the game it also opted for the extra attacker, pulling Anderson, and it paid off when Hoffman fired a wrist shot that beat a screened Halak high to the stick side to tie things up in the final minute.
According to Stone, the goal was great, but so too was the screen provided by Alex Chaisson.
''We've got guys that can step-up in different situations,'' said Stone. ''Chaisson steps in there, provides a great screen or else Hoff (Hoffman) doesn't score the goal. It's guys stepping up at the right times.''
Senators forward Kyle Turris twisted his right leg awkwardly battling to keep the puck in the zone just prior to the tying goal being scored. He was helped off the ice, favoring his right leg.
Cameron was unable to provide any update following the game. When asked, his only response was, ''No, I'm scared to ask.''
Notes: D Patrick Wiercioch was the lone healthy scratch for the Senators. ... The Islanders scratched F Steve Bernier and D Brian Strait. ... Senators F Mika Zibanejad made his return to the lineup and was joined by David Dziurzynski, who was recalled from Binghamton. Anderson made his 10th consecutive start. . It was the first meeting of the season for the two clubs. They meet again on Jan. 22 in Ottawa, and March 23 in New York.
