WINNIPEG, Manitoba – Michael Grabner scored on a breakaway 3:53 into overtime as the New York Islanders defeated the Winnipeg Jets 3-2 on Tuesday night.
Cal Clutterbuck sent a pass from around the blue line up to Grabner, who slipped between two Jets and beat Ondrej Pavelec.
The Islanders also got a goal and assist from Anders Lee and a goal from Colin McDonald to end a two-game skid. Jets captain Andrew Ladd scored his 16th and 17th goals of the season, tying the game 2-2 with 5:07 left for Winnipeg, which had won its last two games.
Islanders winger Thomas Vanek was a healthy scratch amid rumors he’ll be traded before Wednesday afternoon’s deadline. Captain John Tavares is out for the rest of the season with a knee injury he suffered playing for Canada in the Olympics.
Islanders forward Josh Bailey turned over the puck in the Jets’ zone under pressure from Mark Stuart and Winnipeg’s Olli Jokinen then sent a pass up ice to Ladd. He went in alone on goalie Anders Nilsson and beat him with a low shot on the blocker side.
In the final three minutes, Nilsson was called for delay of game when he shot the puck over the glass, but the Jets couldn’t capitalize on their fifth power play.
Nilsson made 36 saves and Pavelec stopped 24 shots.
The victory came on a day when the Islanders needed a lift. Defenseman Andrew MacDonald was traded to Philadelphia earlier for center Matt Mangene and a third-round pick in this year’s draft, and a second-round pick in 2015.
The Jets, now 11-3-2 under coach Paul Maurice, who took over after Claude Noel was fired Jan. 12, didn’t help themselves much in the playoff race. Winnipeg is one point back of the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference, which is held by the Dallas Stars, who lost 4-2 Tuesday in Columbus, but have a game in hand. Winnipeg sits at 67 points.
Bryan Little won a faceoff against Frans Nielsen and pushed the puck ahead to Ladd, who went to the front of the net and beat Nilsson between the pads to open the scoring.
The Islanders, who were dominating the first period, kept pressuring Pavelec and got a lucky bounce when Ryan Strome’s shot went off the backboards and onto McDonald’s stick. He fired it home.
New York scored 1:33 into the second period on a goal that was reviewed for a high stick. Lee went in alone on Pavelec, who got a piece of his shot, but the puck went high behind him. Lee put his stick up and knocked it down and into the net for his third goal of the season.
New York got its first power play early in the third period, while Winnipeg had come up empty on four tries at that point. The Islanders couldn’t score and the Jets upheld their strong penalty kill, fifth in the NHL heading into the game.
Notes: Tuesday marked the Jets’ Paul Maurice’s 1,100th game as a head coach. … New York’s Eric Boulton injured his hand and didn’t return. … The Jets lost rookie Mark Scheifele to what appeared to be a knee injury.
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