Fran Nielson scores in overtime in give Islanders 3-2 win over Bruins

Nielsen lifts Isles past Bruins in OT

UNIONDALE, N.Y. — Frans Nielsen scored 24 seconds into overtime to give New York a 3-2 victory over the Boston Bruins on Saturday night, snapping the Islanders’ losing streak at three games.

Matt Moulson had a goal and an assist for the Islanders (12-13-7), Rob Schremp scored his first NHL goal, and Kyle Okposo had two assists.

David Krejci and Michael Ryder scored for Boston. The Bruins (16-9-6) had won two straight and were 8-1-1 in their previous 10.

The Islanders were finally back skating on home ice, beginning a stretch that includes nine out of 12 at the Coliseum. They played 20 of their first 31 on the road. That included 14 of the previous 17, a span in which they went 6-9-2. They dropped four of five on the last trip, getting outscored 13-4 in losing the final three.

In the two teams’ previous two meetings in Boston, the Bruins had their hands full with the Islanders, having to rally from three goals down to win 4-3 in a shootout on Oct. 10 and then falling 4-1 on Nov. 16. And this third game followed the same pattern.

After a turnover in the Islanders’ end, Blake Comeau sent Nielsen in on a breakaway against goalie Tim Thomas, and Nielsen went to his backhand at the last instant to end it.

Boston outshot the Islanders 17-3 in the third period, but Islanders goalie Dwayne Roloson stopped every shot to keep it a scoreless period and send the game to overtime.

The Islanders struck just 3:58 into the game against the Bruins, who arrived with the NHL’s No. 1 ranked penalty-killing unit after fending off the previous 16 power plays.

But after Boston was penalized for having too many men on the ice, Moulson got stopped in front by Thomas, and the puck deflected to Schremp behind the goal line at the right side of the net. The center banked it in off Thomas’ right skate for a 1-0 lead.

Ryder tied it with 5:37 left in the period. Krejci carried the puck into the Islanders’ zone and fed Ryder near the top of the right circle, and the right wing wristed it past the glove of Roloson.

Then Marco Sturm beat Roloson when he swatted the puck out of the air with 1:41 to go until the first intermission, but the goal was immediately waved off because it was scored with a high stick, something a video review confirmed.

Sturm did set up the go-ahead goal approaching the midpoint of the second period, collecting a loose puck along the left-wing boards in the Islanders’ zone, then cruising through the left circle before centering to Krejci at the right doorstep for the goal.

But John Tavares backhanded a puck from behind the Bruins’ net to Moulson in front, and the left wing scored his 15th to tie it at 2-2 with 5:18 remaining in the second.