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Tavares, Islanders top Flames

Dec 30, 2011 - 4:57 AM Uniondale, NY (Sports Network) - John Tavares scored the game-winning goal early in the third period and added an assist, sending the New York Islanders to a 3-1 win over the Calgary Flames at Nassau Coliseum.

Andrew MacDonald and Brian Rolston also scored for the Isles, while P.A. Parenteau added a pair of assists. Evgeni Nabokov was solid in net, making 29 saves in the win as New York stopped a three-game losing streak.

Tim Jackman netted the lone goal, while Miikka Kiprusoff made 31 saves for the Flames, who had their four-game winning streak halted.

Tavares' game-winner came at 3:20 of the final period thanks to a spectacular individual effort from the Islander captain. He picked up the puck in his own end, raced up the right wing, put the puck on his backhand and drove hard to the net before cutting to the forehand and sliding the puck past Kiprusoff from in close to give the Isles the lead for good at 2-1.

Rolston added an empty-netter with 43 seconds to play to seal the win for New York.

"I think we played with a lot of passion and commitment to our game tonight," Islanders head coach Jack Capuano said. "We played hard tonight. It was a game where we really established what we try to do with our identity, which is to get pucks deep and work back behind the goal line."

The Flames opened the scoring early, lighting the lamp just 1:11 into the game when Brendan Morrison kicked the puck out to the neutral zone and raced up the right wing into the offensive end. He coasted to the slot and dropped it to Tom Kostopoulos on the right wing. Kostopoulos fired it on net and Jackman jammed it home as he was crashing the net to give the Flames the early 1-0 edge.

New York evened things up at 3:04 of the second stanza while down a man. Holding the puck in the left corner, Parenteau found MacDonald, who fired it past Kiprusoff low to the glove side.

"It wasn't at the level that we wanted to play at," Flames head coach Brent Sutter said. " I thought we made too many mistakes. It wasn't smart hockey and we weren't good enough to win this game."

Game Notes

The Islanders lead the all-time series between the teams, 44-42-20...New York improved to 3-14-2 when allowing the game's first goal...The Islanders are 13-1-7 in their last 21 home contests against Western Conference opposition...New York failed to convert on its only power-play chance, while the Flames went 0-for-2 with the man advantage...New York will face Edmonton on Saturday, while Calgary will travel to Ottawa to face the Senators on Friday.