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Isles edge Habs in shootout

Feb 11, 2011 - 4:17 AM Montreal, QC (Sports Network) - Kyle Okposo scored in the fourth round of a shootout, lifting the New York Islanders to a 4-3 win Thursday over Montreal.

The Islanders came back to tie the game three times, never leading before Okposo snapped a shot that beat Alex Auld in the left side of the net.

"I picked a good shot to win it," he said.

Okposo was the only player to score in the shootout. New York goaltender Mikko Koskinen stopped all four shots at the other end for his first career NHL win.

Koskinen, a 22-year-old Finn who made his debut Tuesday in a loss against Toronto, had 10 saves in the third period of this one to keep New York in it.

"There was a great atmosphere and it was a lot of fun to win here," said Koskinen, who finished with 37 saves for the game. "I'm pretty confident with my shootout skills. We have that in the AHL and so I was pretty confident."

Michael Grabner had two goals and John Tavares also scored for the Islanders, who won for just the third time in eight games to climb past Ottawa and out of last place in the Eastern Conference.

Max Pacioretty, Benoit Pouliot and Tomas Plekanec scored for the Canadiens.

Montreal has lost three straight, including Wednesday's spirited 8-6 defeat in Boston in a game that featured a fight between goaltenders Tim Thomas of the Bruins and Carey Price of the Canadiens.

"It was less eventful than last night," Auld said of this one. "I don't think it's the game we wanted, but it's a big point for us. We have to move on."

Auld made 30 saves, but continued to let the Islanders back in.

Pacioretty gave the Canadiens a 1-0 lead during a 4-on-4 in the first period, scoring on a one-timer at 14:10 after David Desharnais found him in the slot with a pass from the left side.

Tavares tied the game for New York just 2:25 later, collecting his own rebound on the right side and flipping the puck over Auld and into the top of the net.

Pouliot put the Canadiens back in front on a slap shot at 5:49 of the second, and they remained in the lead after a quick back-and-forth near the end of the period.

Grabner split two defenders and beat Auld through the legs at 17:10, but Plekanec restored Montreal's one-goal lead just 58 seconds later when he kept the puck himself on a 2-on-1 rush.

The Islanders came back one more time, tying the game at 3-3 when Grabner scored his second goal of the game 4:08 into the third period after pouncing on a loose puck to Auld's left.

Game Notes

The Islanders have lost three goaltenders this season -- Rick DiPietro, Nathan Lawson and Kevin Poulin are all on the shelf -- while veteran Evgeni Nabokov has refused to report to the club...Montreal started a three-game homestand that will also feature visits from Toronto and Buffalo...The Canadiens were 0- for-4 on the power play, while New York went 0-for-3.