Game Recap: Islanders 5, Canucks 2

The New York Islanders got back in the win column on Tuesday night, beating the Vancouver Canucks 5-2 at Barclays Center.
Tom Kuhnhackl recorded his first-career, two-goal game, while Josh Bailey, Jordan Eberle (1G, 1A) and Cal Clutterbuck each lit the lamp for the Islanders, who busted out of a three-game winless streak. Brock Nelson and Mathew Barzal finished the game with two assists apiece, while Thomas Greiss made 22 saves in the win. Brendan Leipsic and Jake Virtanen scored for the Canucks. Jacob Markstrom made 29 in the loss.
"There's different times of the year, just because it's not April doesn't mean it's not a must-win," Clutterbuck said of ending the losing streak. "You don't want to give a five-game winning streak back. We knew that today we had to dig in and win it. Teams in our division have been winning games, so you can't underestimate the value of those points."

KUHNHACKL SCORES INCREDIBLE GOAL:

Tom Kuhnhackl did his best Alex Ovechkin impression on Tuesday night, scoring a goal off his back to tie the score 1-1 in the first period.
Kuhnhackl was tripped up as he spun off Ben Hutton in the corner, but managed to hook the puck and throw the last-ditch effort on net as he fell to the ice. The unexpectedly effective shot beat Jacob Markstrom short side. It was unexpected for Kuhnhackl as well, who didn't know he'd scored until Leo Komarov congratulated him.
"It takes a lot of luck that the puck somehow squeezes in, but I heard good things happen when you throw pucks on net," Kuhnhackl said.
Kuhnhackl potted his second of the game to put the Islanders ahead 4-2 early in the third, driving to the net and deflecting a puck off his skate. Kuhnhackl has four points (3G, 1A) in seven games this season.

BAILEY, EBERLE EXTEND LEAD:

The Islanders only needed 45 seconds to take the lead after Kuhnhackl's goal, as Josh Bailey netted his fifth of the season.
Bailey's goal marked the second good bounce of the period for the Islanders, as his cross-ice pass deflected off Chris Tanev's skate and past Markstrom at 5:56. The two-goal spurt stole the momentum back from Vancouver after Brendan Leipsic scored the opening goal at 2:48.
"Today we were a little sluggish out of the box and then we got going," Head Coach Barry Trotz said. "We got a second-effort goal by Tommy Kuhnhackl and then we got a quick response and then I thought we were real good for the rest of the period."
The Islanders made it 3-1 by the end of the period, as Brock Nelson chased down a dump-in to the corner and fed a wide-open Jordan Eberle in front of the net. Eberle, who had at least seven feet between him and the closest Canuck made no mistake, burying his fifth goal of the season.

Nelson's first assist was also his 200th point, while Mathew Barzal notched his 100th point - in 101 career games - on Bailey's goal.
The Canucks answered back in the second period, with Jake Virtanen scoring a power-play goal 2:51 into the middle frame. Vancouver pressed throughout the period, outshooting the Islanders 11-5, but some highway robbery from Thomas Greiss on star rookie Elias Pettersson kept the Isles ahead.
Kuhnhackl added some insurance in the third as the Isles outshot the Canucks 17-5, taking advantage of their road-weary opponents. Cal Clutterbuck iced the game with a power-play goal, ending a personal 51-game goal drought dating back to last season.
"I was really happy for Cal getting one," Trotz said. "He said there was a monkey on his back, but it was more like a gorilla. For him to get that out, the guys were really happy."
Clutterbuck's power-play goal was the Islanders first in four games, ending an 0-for-19 slump. Trotz had altered his power-play units ahead of Tuesday's game, moving Barzal - who assisted on Clutterbuck's goal - to the opposite unit. The Isles coach said he was pleased with the showing from his power-play units, especially in their debut, but sees room for improvement. Overall, Trotz said that the contributions from across the lineup laid the blueprint for how the Isles need to play.

LADD LEAVES GAME:

Andrew Ladd left the game at the end of the second period and did not return. Barry Trotz didn't have an immediate update and said Ladd would be re-evaluated on Wednesday.

MILITARY APPRECIATION NIGHT:

The Islanders hosted military appreciation night on Tuesday, saluting active and retired servicemen and women. The Islanders wore camouflage-print military jerseys during warmups and personally bought 500 tickets for military personnel.

ISLANDERS LINES:

NEXT GAME:

The Islanders host the New York Rangers on Thursday night at Barclays Center.