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Campoli helps Islanders edge Blue Jackets in overtime

Nov 4, 2008 - 4:07 AM By Doug Mittler PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

UNIONDALE, New York (Ticker) -- Defenseman Chris Campoli managed to score twice in overtime. The first one ended up counting, and it helped the New York Islanders put an end to a lengthy losing streak.

Campoli scored his second goal with 1:47 remaining in overtime as the Islanders escaped with a 4-3 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday.

Richard Park and captain Bill Guerin also tallied for New York, which scored the first three goals of the contest. Joey MacDonald stopped 31 shots and recorded his first career assist as the Islanders snapped a six-game losing streak (0-5-1).

R.J. Umberger scored twice and defenseman Marc Methot also tallied for Columbus, which went 1-for-7 on the power play.

In a weird sequence, Campoli actually scored the game-winning goal twice. He gathered a loose puck in the Blue Jackets' zone and unleashed a shot past goaltender Federik Norrena. However, the puck went right through an opening in the net.

Campoli raised his stick to celebrate, but then quickly returned to the play and sent fired a shot from the slot past Norrena. The play was reviewed and the first goal was awarded.

"The first one went in, I was pretty sure it went in when I shot it," Campoli said. "It was a pretty bizarre play. Nothing surprises us anymore. Things happen."

Campoli's goal helped as the Islanders rebounded from a 5-4 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday in which they squandered a 4-1 lead in the third period.

"I didn't have the same feeling as the Montreal game," Islanders coach Scott Gordon said. "We can't beat ourselves up here. We can yell and scream at each other, but at the end of the day, we have to put things in the past."

The Blue Jackets rallied from a 3-0 deficit thanks to Umberger, who tied the contest with his second tally with 8:58 left in the third. Umberger spun around and scored on a wrist shot from the right circle which beat MacDonald.

MacDonald was starting for Rick DiPietro, who is out four to six weeks following knee surgery.

"I thought we were back on our heels in the third period, but we battled back to force it to overtime," MacDonald said.

Columbus scored two goals in a 72-second span early in the third to cut the lead to 3-2. Methot poked the puck through the legs of MacDonald at 3:44, and Umberger scored off a rebound of a shot by captain Rick Nash at 4:56.

The Islanders took a three-goal lead in an 11-minute span of the second period. Trent Hunter took the puck away from defenseman Christian Backman behind the net, and tried to stuff the puck past Norrena.

Park then put home the rebound for his first goal of the season at 3:08. Guerin scored his fifth goal of the season on a breakaway at 10:16 of the period, and Campoli's shorthander less than four minutes later gave the Islanders a three-goal cushion.

"We can't have a second period like that. We need to play 60 minutes," Nash said.

Norrena stopped 25 shots in place of Pascal Leclaire, who is out with an ankle injury.

"The players deserve credit, but that was a big hole we dug in the second period," Blue Jackets coach Ken Hitchcock said.