Senators use 3-goal third period to rally for 4-3 win over Islanders

Senators rally past Islanders

UNIONDALE, N.Y. — Alex Kovalev, Jason Spezza and Mike Fisher scored in a 6:59 span of the third period to propel the Ottawa Senators to a 4-3 comeback victory over the New York Islanders on Sunday.

Ottawa won for the 14th time in its past 16 games, erasing a 3-1 deficit to head into the Olympic break with momentum. Jarkko Ruutu also scored to improve the Senators to 3-0 against the Islanders this season.

Blake Comeau posted his first career two-goal game and Matt Moulson added his team-leading 22nd goal for New York. The Islanders head into the layoff with nine losses in 11 games.

Fisher deflated the sparse Nassau Coliseum crowd when he moved behind Andy Sutton near the right post. Fisher then tipped Filip Kuba’s feed past Dwayne Roloson for the game-winner at 10:46.

Down two goals entering the final period, Ottawa killed off a 56-second 5-on-3 penalty kill to start the third. The lack of a put-away goal gave Ottawa hope when Kovalev scored his 17th goal from a left post wrist shot at 3:47.

Spezza’s power-play goal almost five minutes later tied the score and Fisher completed the momentum swing 1:33 after that when he tied Milan Michalek for Ottawa’s team lead in goals with 20.

Roloson made 31 saves but is still looking for his first win since Jan. 21, having lost his past five starts.

Moulson and Comeau scored almost nine minutes apart in the second period, fueling a resurgent Islanders offense that totaled eight goals in consecutive games against Tampa Bay and Ottawa.

Trent Hunter set up Moulson’s tally to lift the Islanders to a 2-1 lead 5:05 into the second. The winger chipped the puck away from Jesse Winchester at the right circle and sent the puck to the goal mouth.

Moulson redirected it past goalie Brian Elliott. Hunter’s assist ended an 11-game pointless streak.

Comeau’s point-blank wrist shot expanded the lead to 3-1 at 13:57. Andrew MacDonald’s behind-the-net pass caught a piece of the right post as defenseman Derek Smith applied pressure. The bounce went right to Comeau at the top of the crease, who picked up his first multi-goal effort in 152 career games.

New York entered with the league’s worst-ranked power play and failed to improve its percentage, going 0-for-5 with the man advantage. The Islanders failed to convert on a nearly minute-long two-man advantage as Elliott turned aside four shots on the total kill.

Ruutu’s rebound goal at 6:16 of the first helped Ottawa to a quick start. Roloson made a pad save on Chris Neil’s point-blank wrist shot before Ruutu lifted the loose puck into the top of the net for his 10th goal.

Ruutu, who went through a 17-game streak without a goal last month, notched his second in four games.

Comeau responded by scoring for the second straight game when his slap shot from the top of the left circle beat Elliott glove-side at 15:54.

Notes: Roloson played in his 500th career game. … G Rick DiPietro (flu) was scratched for a second straight game. … Elliott is 12-2 is his past 14 games. … C Matt Cullen has not recorded a point since the Senators acquired him in a trade with Carolina last week.