Barkov has hat trick, Panthers top Islanders in OT for 11th straight win

Aleksander Barkov completed his third NHL hat trick 20 seconds into overtime to give the Florida Panthers their 11th consecutive victory, 3-2 against the New York Islanders at UBS Arena in Elmont, New York, on Tuesday.

"We've been talking a lot about getting our game ready for the playoffs and it was pretty close to the one we want to play," Barkov said. "It was the game we wanted to play. We played in their zone."
Jonathan Huberdeau had three assists to move one point ahead of Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid for the NHL lead in scoring with 111 points (30 goals, 81 assists).
Sergei Bobrovsky made 24 saves for the Panthers (55-15-6), who haven't lost since March 27. They have an eight-point lead over the Toronto Maple Leafs for first in the Atlantic Division and are tied with the Colorado Avalanche for the best record in the NHL.
"We don't really talk about that," Barkov said. "The main thing for us is to get ready for the playoffs. We're tied with Colorado for first place in the league, it means we've done something right."

Ilya Sorokin made 39 saves for the Islanders (35-31-10), who were playing their first game since being eliminated from playoff contention.
"Ilya was fantastic, he really was," New York coach Barry Trotz said. "They've got some high-end guys that can make some plays, and you look at Barkov, three goals, and Huberdeau, three assists. Their front-end guys came to play."
Jean-Gabriel Pageau gave the Islanders a 2-1 lead at 1:01 of the third period when he redirected Matthew Barzal's centering pass six seconds into a power play.
Barkov tied it 2-2 at 16:02, getting to a loose puck in the slot after a scrum in front of the Islanders net.
The goal was the 36th of the season for Barkov, setting an NHL career high despite missing 12 games with a lower-body injury.
"He's had a great season," Florida coach Andrew Brunette said. "Kind of quietly. I think other guys have had career years and 'Huby's' season he's having is off the charts. He kind of maybe got lost a little bit in the shuffle because he missed so much time. But he reminds you on nights like tonight how great of a player he is. He's had a tremendous season. And if he was healthy, probably right up there with 'Huby' in that scoring race."

Sebastian Aho gave the Islanders a 1-0 lead at 4:56 of the second period on a delayed penalty with a wrist shot from the right circle. He has two goals in his past four games after not scoring in the first 27.
Barkov tied it 1-1 at 14:12 with a power-play goal on a wrist shot from the high slot through traffic.
The Islanders were playing at home for the first time since Hall of Fame forward Mike Bossy died Friday. They honored him with a pregame ceremony.
"We had some away games where they did some nice tributes like he deserves it," Pageau said. "Tonight, in his home in New York, I thought they did an awesome job. It was emotional for the players, for the fans, like he deserves it."
NOTES: The Panthers winning streak is the longest in the NHL this season. The Calgary Flames, Avalanche and Pittsburgh Penguins each had 10-game streaks. Florida's record for consecutive wins is 12, from Dec. 15, 2015-Jan. 10, 2016. … The Panthers won a team-record 23rd road game. They won 22 in 2015-16. … Florida swept its season series against the Islanders for the first time since 2007-08. … Barkov has 21 points (nine goals, 12 assists) in the past 11 games. … Huberdeau has 25 points (eight goals, 17 assists) in the past 16 games. … Panthers forward Sam Reinhart had his six-game point streak end (11 points; four goals, seven assists). … Islanders defenseman Andy Greene had an assist, his first point since March 3 (22 games).