SUNRISE, Fla. — Richard Zednik’s highlight-reel goal in the second period helped the surging Florida Panthers beat New York 3-2 and snap the Islanders’ season-high, four-game winning streak Thursday night.
Defensemen Jay Bouwmeester and Karlis Skrastins also scored for the Panthers, who are 9-2-3 since Jan. 1. Florida leads the NHL with 36 goals from defensemen.
Zednik also had an assist, and defenseman Bryan McCabe helped set up two goals. Both players are former Islanders
Josh Bailey and Trent Hunter scored power-play goals for the Islanders, who have the fewest points in the NHL despite their streak.
Tomas Vokoun, back in goal for Florida after missing one game because of the flu, made 20 saves.
Joey MacDonald, who returned after a six-game absence caused by a groin injury, stopped 26 shots for the Islanders.
Zednik scored at 12:39 to give Florida a 3-1 lead. After carrying the puck into the Islanders zone, he hopped over sliding New York defenseman Brendan Witt and tapped the puck between MacDonald’s legs as he landed.
The Panthers took a 2-0 lead in the first period, when they outshot the Islanders 10-6.
Bouwmeester opened the scoring at 5:41 with his sixth goal in 11 games. He beat MacDonald to the glove side with a slap shot from the point.
Skrastins scored at 16:53 with a slap shot from the high slot. Seconds after Stephen Weiss checked Frans Nielsen into the Florida bench, Weiss passed the puck back to McCabe at the point. McCabe then fed Skrastins, who beat MacDonald low to the stick side.
The Islanders got back into it in the second period by converting two of four power-play opportunities.
Bailey, a rookie, scored his second NHL goal at 8:22 with a slap shot from the wing that beat Vokoun to the short side.
Hunter scored at 14:51 to make it 3-2 just 3 seconds into the Islanders’ third power play of the period. Hunter grabbed a loose puck in front of the net right off the faceoff and put a backhander past Vokoun.
Notes: Islanders D Mark Streit sat out because of an upper-body
strain sustained in Tuesday night’s victory at Tampa Bay. … The Islanders’ winning streak was their longest since they a six-game surge in February 2008. … The teams split the four-game season series. … Florida LW David Booth, the team’s leader in goals, was back in the lineup after missing two games because of the flu.
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