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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
UNIONDALE, N.Y. (AP) -- The New York Islanders are tied for first place in the Atlantic Division -- and it's past opening day.
|  | | Brad Isbister has scored seven goals in his past nine games. |
Brad Isbister scored two goals, and John Vanbiesbrouck made 32
saves as the Islanders edged the Nashville Predators 2-1 on Tuesday
night to snap a two-game losing streak.
Isbister scored the go-ahead goal 25 seconds into the third period as the Islanders beat the Predators at home for the first time in three tries and moved into a first-place tie with New Jersey in the Atlantic Division.
"It's a lot better to start at the top of the paper to look for your name rather than the bottom," Isbister said. "But it's more important to do better game by game and try to just take this one game at a time."
The last time the Islanders, who are 6-4-2-1, were in first
place more than three games into the season was during the 1995
lockout season. They were tied with the New York Rangers at 6-6-2
on Feb. 18 of that season.
"It's early, but it's more psychological for our team," Islanders coach Butch Goring said. "It makes you feel a lot better as a team, and after being down for so long for the recent past, it's a nice feeling."
Kimmo Timonen scored for the Predators, who lost in regulation for the first time on the road this season. Tomas Vokoun stopped 28
shots.
With the game tied 1-1, Mariusz Czerkawski intercepted Patric
Kjellberg's failed clearing pass at the center point and passed to
Isbister, who was alone in the slot. Isbister faked Vokoun down,
pulled the puck around him and shot into the open right side of the
net for his team-leading eighth goal.
Nashville took a 1-0 lead 5:27 into the game when Greg Johnson
beat Jesse Belanger on a faceoff in the left circle, and drew it back to Timonen. The defenseman faked one wrist shot, waited for a
screen to develop, and then fired a wrister that got past Vanbiesbrouck's glove.
"It was a good play by them," Vanbiesbrouck said. "I was
totally screened."
Czerkawski, who assisted on both goals, had an earlier chance
for his own goal, but Vokoun made a stick save on his backhand
attempt at 1:28.
Isbister, playing center for the first time this season, tied it at 3:59 of the second when he beat Vokoun from the right crease on a rebound of Taylor Pyatt's shot.
"Certainly, the guy who's been a stand-up guy for me is Isbister," Goring said. "He's becoming a force on the ice."
The Predators pushed to tie it, but Vanbiesbrouck turned aside
all 14 shots in the period, including four in the last 1:41 when
Nashville had a power play and a sixth skater with Vokoun pulled.
"Both teams had opportunities to score," Nashville forward Cliff Ronning said. "They just made the best of theirs.
The Predators suffered its first no-point loss of the season,
but still have not allowed more than two goals in any road game.
"Our goaltending has been the key to our game," Ronning said. "But in this case, we need more than one goal if we're going to win."
Game notes
Vanbiesbrouck's wife, Rosalinde, gave birth to the couple's
fourth child -- all are boys -- on Sunday. Daniel John weighed in at 8 pounds, 9 ounces. ... The attendance at Nassau Coliseum was 6,528. The Islanders have had three weekday games and three weekend games. All three weekend games drew at least 10,000, while the other two weekday contests drew 6,336 and 6,418. ... With the unbalanced schedule, this was the only meeting between the teams this season. The Islanders don't play at Nashville, Calgary, Chicago or Detroit.
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ALSO SEE
NHL Scoreboard
Nashville Clubhouse
NY Islanders Clubhouse
RECAPS
NY Islanders 2
Nashville 1
NY Rangers 4
Edmonton 3
Colorado 2
Minnesota 0
Phoenix 3
Los Angeles 3
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Brad Isbister ties the game on a rebound of Taylor Pyatt's shot.
avi: 413 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
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