Pulock's goal in OT lifts Islanders over Golden Knights 3-2

UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- In a physical game with a playoff pace, Ryan Pulock and the New York Islanders took advantage of a prime opportunity in overtime.

Pulock scored a power-play goal 3:20 into the extra session to give the Islanders a 3-2 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday night.

"It was probably one of the faster games we played this year," Pulock said. "That's a good team over there. It's huge to get that extra point."

Cal Clutterbuck and Brock Nelson also scored for the Islanders, who won their seventh straight at Nassau Coliseum and snapped Vegas' four-game winning streak.

Alex Tuch and Jonathan Marchessault had the goals for the Golden Knights.

"It was fast, it was furious. There were great plays, great saves -- everything you want in a game," New York coach Barry Trotz said. "It was a fun hockey game."

Marchessault was sent off for tripping at 3:10 of OT, giving the Islanders a 4-on-3 advantage. That led to Pulock's winner after New York won the faceoff in the Vegas zone.

Anders Lee assisted on the defenseman's fourth goal of the season.

"It was a hard-fought game and fun to be part of," Golden Knights defenseman Nate Schmidt said. "Too bad it had to end."

Semyon Varlamov stopped 31 shots for his ninth win of the season. He made a sterling glove save on Mark Stone in overtime.

"Everybody was invested," Trotz said. "I can't think of one line I was disappointed in. ... I like the way we played. Great atmosphere. One of our better games of the year."

Marchessault tied the game for the Golden Knights at 15:28 of the third after Nelson put the Islanders ahead earlier in the period. Marchessault, who had a hat trick in a win over the Devils on Tuesday, whipped the puck past Varlamov for his ninth goal of the season. Nicolas Hague and Reilly Smith assisted.

Nelson snapped a shot past Vegas goaltender Malcolm Subban at 3:56 for his ninth of the season. Anthony Beauvillier and Scott Mayfield assisted.

It was the first time the Golden Knights visited the Islanders' original home at Nassau Coliseum after Vegas' previous two road games against New York were played at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

This one had a playoff feel, rare for teams that meet only twice per season. Several dozen Golden Knights fans chanted loudly for their team but were quickly drowned out by the loud home crowd.

"It was a great game, two teams battled real hard. I love the way our team competed," Vegas coach Gerard Gallant said. "It was a real good road trip. If we keep playing like this, we'll win a lot of hockey games."

The Islanders improved to 8-2-0 at Nassau Coliseum, where they are playing a majority of their home games this season, two years before a planned move into their new arena at Belmont Park.

Clutterbuck opened the scoring at 4:26 of the second, scoring unassisted to finish a 3-on-1 break when he rifled the puck past Subban for his third goal of the season.

Tuch tied it at 15:27 when he wired the puck over Varlamov's right shoulder to continue his stellar play on the road trip. Tuch also scored twice in Monday's 4-1 victory over the Rangers at Madison Square Garden and had three assists in Tuesday's 4-3 win at New Jersey. Cody Glass and Jon Merrill assisted on Tuch's fifth goal of the season.

Subban made a number of excellent saves in the first period. He had a sharp glove stop on defenseman Adam Pelech at 14:50 and another on Jordan Eberle on his doorstep at 16:10.

Varlamov had an especially strong second, denying Smith, the Golden Knights' leading goal scorer, on a 2-on-1 chance from the right circle. Varlamov stopped Marchessault from point-blank range while Vegas was on a power play 12 minutes into the middle period.

The Islanders held a 13-8 shots advantage after the scoreless first. Vegas outshot the Islanders 13-12 in the second, and the Golden Knights had an 11-4 edge in the third.

The Islanders were coming off a 4-2 loss at Montreal on Tuesday and had played five of their last six on the road since an overtime win in Brooklyn against Pittsburgh on Nov. 21.

Game notes
Subban made 28 saves. ... The Islanders scratched defenseman Noah Dobson and forwards Michael Dal Colle and Otto Koivula. . The Islanders also placed forward Tom Kuhnhackl on long-term injured reserve and sent him to Bridgeport of the AHL. .The Golden Knights scratched defenseman Nick Holden and forward Cody Eakin . The teams meet again on Feb. 15 in Las Vegas. . The Islanders are 5-3-1 against Western Conference teams and 14-3-1 against Eastern Conference opponents.

UP NEXT

Golden Knights: Host the New York Rangers on Sunday.

Islanders: Begin a three-game road Saturday night at Dallas.

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