Comeau’s hat trick lifts Islanders to 5-3 victory over Chicago

Comeau’s hat trick lifts Islanders over Chicago

UNIONDALE, N.Y. — Blake Comeau had his first career hat trick and sparked a four-goal, second-period rally to lift the New York Islanders to a 5-3 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday night.

Comeau, Jon Sim and Richard Park scored three goals in a 4:39 stretch in the second, helping the Islanders win for the just the third time in 12 games.

U.S. Olympian Patrick Kane had a goal and two assists. Brian Campbell and Dustin Byfuglien also scored, but the Blackhawks lost for the first time in five games.

Dwayne Roloson, who could be moved by Wednesday’s trade deadline, made 41 saves in his first win since Jan. 21.

Comeau scored twice in the second period, including an insurance goal with 17 seconds left that made it 5-2 and marked the Islanders’ first three-goal game since Jeff Tambellini accomplished the feat on Oct. 31.

Kane, who helped the Americans win a silver medal, had his 19th multipoint game this season. Chicago wasted a chance to tie San Jose (89 points) for the league’s best record.

Blackhawks starting goalie Antti Niemi allowed three goals on just 12 shots before getting pulled. Chicago lost its fifth straight game against the Islanders and hasn’t beaten them since Dec. 23, 2002, at Nassau Coliseum.

Comeau never scored two goals through his first 151 NHL games, but notched his second straight multigoal game. The 24-year-old Comeau scored twice against Ottawa on Feb. 14 and has six goals in his past three games.

Chicago initially looked rejuvenated off the two-week Olympic break, firing 22 shots in the first period to take a 2-1 lead.

Campbell opened the scoring 10:44 in for his 17th goal. Roloson knocked down Kane’s shot from the right circle before Campbell slammed home the rebound at the right post.

Despite the shot disparity, Comeau tied it after stopping a sideboards-bound clearing pass and beating Niemi glove-side 1:32 later.

But Chicago quickly regained momentum off Richard Park’s slashing penalty. Kane’s wraparound rebound goal off Duncan Keith’s off-target shot came just 63 seconds after Comeau’s tally. The Blackhawks fell two short of tying its season high of 24 shots in a period, accomplished in the Oct. 2 season opener against Florida.

Momentum shifted coming out of first intermission when Comeau and Sim scored 25 seconds apart to force Niemi to the bench 2:52 into the second.

Comeau’s drive from the left circle hit just under the crossbar and Sim followed with a point-blank rebound goal a half-minute later, prompting Chicago coach Joel Quenneville to insert Cristobal Huet.

Park capitalized on a cold Huet, beating the goalie on a far-angle shot from the right circle for his seventh goal at 7:06. Comeau again found the net in the period’s waning seconds, inciting a nearly five-minute delay as a barrage of hats crashed to the Coliseum ice.

Before the game, the Islanders traded defenseman Andy Sutton to Ottawa in exchange for a 2010 second-round draft pick that originally belonged to San Jose.

Chicago also made a move, acquiring Nick Boynton from Anaheim in exchange for future considerations. Boynton will be assigned to AHL Rockford.

NOTES: Islanders C Josh Bailey (upper body) returned to the lineup after missing the last six games. … Islanders D Jack Hillen returned from a nine-game absence after breaking his jaw on Jan. 26 against Washington. … New York recalled D Dustin Kohn following the Sutton trade and he had an assist. … Chicago’s previous road loss came Jan. 30 in Carolina. … The Blackhawks have allowed 16 goals the last four games but are 3-1 in that stretch.