Jack Capuano returned to the well again hoping for another game-saver from Evgeni Nabokov, but this time the Islanders' luck ran out.

At best only one of the four goals Nabokov conceded in two periods was really his fault, as screens, deflections and great passing were the rule on the Panthers' goals.

The Islanders actually opened the game with quality breakouts and promising horizontal passing plays -- perhaps too much passing even -- but more often than not the execution wasn't there, the connections frequently missed.

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On that note, during his customary second intermission interview Scott Allen the Islanders weren't so much losing the possession battle (shots were 17-16 through two) as they weren't executing the offensive situations they did create: Shooting wide from inside the blueline, shooting into the chest from inside the circles, misfiring on passes down low. According to the official sheet, the Islanders put 19 shots on that missed the net entirely.

The most heartbreaking moment, when it could've taken a different trajectory, was when Josh Bailey made a nifty play down low and his backhand hit the post instead of giving the Islanders a 2-0 lead.

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The Islanders were outplayed by the Kings in this one, particularly in a scary second period. But ultimately it came down to a goaltending battle between two of the lowest scoring teams in the league -- a tough slog made possible by NHL officials who sleepwalked through the afternoon as two teams engaged in an increasingly dirty war.

While Evgeni Nabokov made at least one standings point possible with his 34 saves, Mark Streit grabbed the second point with a delightful 1-on-3 rush into the Kings zone, slipping a backhand through Jonathan Quick's legs for the OT winner.

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We'll have to check the medical tent before tomorrow's matinee against the Panthers, as several players took knocks in this one: Mark Eaton collided noggins with Anze Kopitar (but took his next shift), Matt Martin smashed his chin on the dasher boards after checking Trevor Lewis (but returned), and Matt Moulson left briefly as well but would log 21:29 and assist on the winner.

With the officials calling nothing except for a random trip and obstruction per side, it could have been worse.

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The Islanders were nearly shutout for the second game in a row, but this time Evgeni Nabokov was not able to save them a point and the shootout was not available to give them two.

In humorous contrast to the shootout win in Philadelphia where the Isles had no business winning, tonight they trailed 2-0 after 30 minutes and had every right to be tied if not ahead. That's hockey. Shots were 24-21 for the Isles after 40 minutes and the score would get worse before it briefly got better.

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The Isles stormed out of the gate in the second period to try to tie it at 1-1, unleashing the first seven shots within the period's first five minutes. Instead, Carey Price made like Nabokov in Philly and shut the door, most notably on the Islanders' period-opening powerplay.

Max Pacioretty soon scored his second goal of the game and Montreal took the comfort of a 2-0 lead into the third. Down 3-0, a late Isles push made the final score look ... a fairer reflection of how this game was played, actually.

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The New York Islanders survived the first game without their best defenseman Travis Hamonic, the mid-game loss of Dylan Reese, and the careful debut of rookie Aaron Ness to hang on for dear life through 65 minutes of scoreless hockey.

That endurance test passed, Evgeni Nabokov made two more stops in the shootout while Ilya Bryzgalov couldn't stop Frans Nielsen and John Tavares, resulting in the Isles' second consecutive win in Philadelphia and a well-earned shutout for Nabokov.

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The big news (leak) of the night, which the Islanders were planning to announce with appropriate fanfare tomorrow, is Frans Nielsen's four-year, $11 million contract extension. But despite Nielsen authoring his patented Backhand of Judgment move to get the shootout winner, this night was Nabby, Nabby, Nabby.

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Last night the Islanders were pushed to OT in a game they deserved to win. They outplayed the Senators just about the whole game. Tonight the Islanders were pushed to OT in a game they never deserved to have the lead in. Despite the 3-1 lead after the first, the Islanders had been outshot 17-9. Their Corsi was -20 and their Fenwick was -10 after the first. Frans Nielsen had 2 goals and the only assist on Josh Bailey's (almost SH) goal.

The Sabres battled their way back from 3-1, while Al Montoya seemed to struggle in net and the defense had some bad lapses. After tying the game halfway through the 3rd, the Sabres looked like they were playing for OT. The Isles gained some momentum going into the extra period and really laid it on in OT. Montoya made an early clutch save in the period and Dylan Reese probably saved another goal before a Sabres too many men penalty gave the Isles a PP. The Isles pretty much controlled the game for the rest of OT and had some fantastic chances. Ryan Miller was clutch though and forced the shootout.

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Miller made the save against P.A. Parenteau and challenged Frans, upsetting the timing of the Danish Backhand of Judgment. Hopefully not too many people were watching, because that was a textbook lesson in stopping Frans on the shootout. Montoya looked bad in the shootout giving up goals to both Sabres he faced.

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As of Friday morning Mark Eaton had played 599 NHL games, scoring 23 total goals -- none in his 68 games as an Islander.

Tonight, in his milestone 600th NHL game his first tally as an Islander was a big one: A nifty "sure, I'll shoot" backhand sliver to win the game in OT after a -- get this -- great feed from Milan Jurcina.

Hockey is a funny game.

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Islanders win 2-1 ... and John Tavares didn't even get a point. Instead P.A. Parenteau assisted on both goals to collect assists 35 and 36 on the season. They pulled out two points with a solid all-around defensive effort and the kind of steady, nearly sleepy road game that makes coaches sleep well at night.

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In a reversal of recent history, the New York Islanders now have three wins in a row over the Carolina Hurricanes, though tonight's 5-2 win was the only one of the three this month where the Canes did not also salvage a regulation point.

With four points tonight (and 53 in 49 games), John Tavares keyed the game's two most important goals: a now-routine sweet assist to open scoring, and a timely finish on the game-winner. He then added two more points on empty net goals, getting the puck up to Kyle Okposo for the first, accepting it from Okposo on the second.

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Islanders special teams work was again critical as it provided them with two powerplay goals and one nail-biter penalty kill as the Hurricanes tried to tie it 3-3 midway through the third. Truth be told, the two powerplay goals sandwiched some ugly powerplay work, and the successful PK followed one in which they ran around and conceded the goal that fully erased their 2-0 lead.

Rhett Rakhshani was active and impressive in his season debut (2 shots on goal, 3 additional attempts), as was Kevin Poulin in making 21 saves for his first victory of the season and fifth of his young career. Steve Staios returned to the lineup and rejoined Mark Streit, who didn't look great with his returning partner but whose bigger gaffes came with the man advantage.

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With the bizarre rulebook "enforcement" in last night's OT loss to Toronto, the topic of officiating came up way more than it normally does in post-game interviews. It's equal parts interesting and cathartic to see how Islanders coach Jack Capuano and players like P.A. Parenteau, John Tavares and Josh Bailey fielded such questions.

Their videos are below (Tavares may be the best), as well as Ron Wilson's always fun take on the game. (Hint: His team was "disciplined.") Wilson was happy with how his team played Tavares, ceding just two goals (though several chances, and one goal was with the sixth attacker) with JT on the ice over the last two games.

On the road Wilson was able to get Dion Phaneuf on the ice for a whopping 13.5 minutes at even strength (out of a whopping 30 minutes overall) against Tavares. Nikolai Kulemin, Joey Crabb and Mikhail Grabovski drew the bulk of forward work against 91.

One other note that escaped last night's officiating rant: Nino Niederreiter saw just 6:18 but was a thorny little devil.

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