NEW YORK — The Islanders home calendar is down to just two following Friday’s 5-4 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
It was a goal late in the third period from Auston Matthews that served as the game-winner in the high scoring affair at Barclays Center. The Islanders and Maple Leafs combined for nine goals, scoring three goals between the two squads in each of the three periods on Friday night.
[lawrence-related id=801791]Matthews winning goal came with 3:58 left in regulation and snapped a 4-4 tie. Matthews scored off a pass from William Nylander to record his 31st goal of the season.
The latest loss moved the Islanders home record to 17-18-4. The Islanders are down to four games left on their schedule, with games against New Jersey, Philadelphia, the New York Rangers and Detroit still to play.
John Tavares recorded his 80th point of the season on a third-period goal, which was his 34th of the year.
The Islanders and Maple Leafs spent most of the 60-minute affair trading goals. Anthony Beauvillier kicked things off with a goal 12:04 into the first period. It is the third time in Tavares’ career that he has recorded 80 or more points in a season.
Christopher Gibson was credited with the loss and finished the night with 27 saves.
[protected-iframe id=”5a6fac7d54d90b46cac376d50fe90740-114320562-99334228″ info=”https://www.nhl.com/video/embed/beauvillier-scores-on-one-timer/t-294806204/c-59423203?autostart=false” width=”540″ height=”320″]Beauvillier finished off a feed from behind the net from Jordan Eberle to put New York up 1-0. The Leafs evened the score up late in the period with a tip-in goal from Nazem Kadri six seconds into a power play.
Johnny Boychuk put the Islanders back in front with a power-play goal of his own with just four seconds remaining on the man-advantage. Boychuk fired a slap shot from the point that beat Frederik Anderson.
The scoring barrage continued into the second period when a pass attempt by Nikita Zaitsev hit off Mathew Barzal’s stick and into the net to tie the game at two. Brock Nelson scored to put the Islanders ahead 3-2 at 10:45, but Mitch Marner evened the score at 17:18.
The Leafs took their first lead of the game just over two minutes into the third period. James van Riemsdyk’s goal from the high slot gave Toronto a 4-3 lead, but again the Islanders tied the game up off a power-play goal from Tavares.
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