Cal Clutterbuck had two goals and an assist as the New York Islanders got all their scoring in the last two periods in a 7-2 win over the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday night.
Anders Lee and Noah Dobson each had a goal and an assist, and Zach Parise, Hudson Fasching and Simon Holmstrom also scored to help the Islanders win their third straight and improve to 7-2-1 in their last 10. Jean-Gabriel Pageau had two assists and Ilya Sorokin finished with 24 saves.
New York moved three points ahead of Florida for the top wild card in the Eastern Conference. The Panthers lost 6-3 at Philadelphia.
After the Islanders scored three times in the second period to take a 3-1 lead, Auston Matthews set up Marner for a one-timer from the slot to pull the Maple Leafs within one at 3:39 of the third. It was Marner’s 27th.
The Islanders responded 44 seconds later as Clutterbuck intercepted a loose puck and raced up the ice before wiring a wrist shot past Samsonov’s blocker to restore a two-goal lead. It was his second of the night and sixth of the season.
WATCH l Islanders goalie reaches out with his stick to make incredible stop vs. Leafs:
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New York Islanders goalie Ilya Sorokin reaches out with his stick and makes an incredible save on Toronto defenceman Erik Gustafsson.
Holstrom made it 5-2 at the midpoint of the third as he converted his second attempt in front on a rebound of Lee’s try.
Dobson scored an empty-netter with 6:04 left for his 13th, and Lee redirected a shot from the point for his 27th less than three minutes later to cap the four-goal period.
Lafferty opened the scoring with a deflection after Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield failed to tie up the Maple Leafs’ forward in front of the Islanders’ net with just under nine minutes left in the first.
Sorokin kept the Islanders deficit at one goal with an incredible stick save with 7:22 left in the opening period, swatting Maple Leafs defenseman Erik Gustafsson’s shot at a wide-open net out of the air with his stick.
Fasching wired a shot past Samsonov’s glove with 6:10 left in the period after Toronto’s Timothy Liljegren misplayed a clearing attempt in the defensive zone. It was Fasching’s seventh goal in 39 games this season.
The Islanders extended their lead to 3-1 after Maple Leafs forward Zach Aston-Reese couldn’t control a puck along the boards and Clutterbuck was able to redirect Ryan Pulock’s shot past Samsonov. It was Clutterbuck’s first goal since returning to the lineup in mid-March after missing 20 games with an upper-body injury.
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