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Comrie helps Islanders end awful month with win

Jan 1, 2009 - 12:24 AM By Doug Mittler PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

UNIONDALE, New York (Ticker) -- Mike Comrie helped end a dismal December for the New York Islanders on a positive note.

Comrie scored a pair of goals and Joey MacDonald stopped 27 shots as the Islanders won for just the second time this month with a 4-2 victory over the Florida Panthers on Wednesday afternoon.

Sean Bergenheim and defenseman Mark Streit also scored for the Islanders, who dominated the second period, scoring three times and outshooting the Panthers, 11-3.

New York endured a 10-game losing streak in December and managed just six points all month (2-10-2). Five of those points, however, have come since Christmas.

"We weren't being relentless or putting teams on their heels," Islanders coach Scott Gordon said of his team's play in early December.

"We've started to get a level of consistency on our forecheck."

Leading the way Wednesday was Comrie, who recorded his first multi-goal game of the season. He had missed 17 games with a hip injury.

"I've been battling a hip injury for quite some time," Comrie said. "I can honestly say it was the first time I felt healthy. It's been something that's been hindering my play."

Brett McLean scored in the first period for the Panthers, who have lost four straight games after winning five of seven.

"Our spotty second period put us behind the eight-ball," McLean said. "We just have to find a way to get those two points, like we were doing two and three weeks ago."

Florida goaltender Tomas Vokoun, who had won his last three games against the Islanders, was lifted after allowing three goals on 22 shots over the first two periods. That was enough for Panthers coach Peter DeBoer, especially after another goal had been disallowed by an interference call.

"Really, it was four goals on 20 shots. Even the first one that didn't count looked like it went in for me," DeBoer said. "That was reason enough."

MacDonald made his third straight start in goal in place of Rick DiPietro, who has not played since returning from a two-month absence in Friday's win over Toronto. MacDonald's best save came on Gregory Campbell early in the third period.

"It was a tough month, but we had a lot of guys go down and the last four or five games we've played well," MacDonald said. "Everybody was pitching in."

Comrie tied the game, 1-1, when a centering pass from rookie Kyle Okposo went off his skate and past Vokoun at 7:58. The goal stood after a review when it was ruled Comrie did not kick the puck deliberately.

New York took the lead on a power-play goal by Comrie with 4:55 left in the second. Comrie skated along the back line and took a shot from a sharp angle that went off the leg of Vokoun and into the net for his sixth of the season.

Comrie took a pass from Doug Weight, who was credited with his 999th NHL point.

Bergenheim skated around Panthers defenseman Karlis Skrastins and put a wrist shot into the top corner with 24 seconds left in the period to give New York a 3-1 lead.

McLean scored from between the circles off a pass from defenseman Nick Boynton to open the scoring at 18:24 of the first.

New York's Richard Park had a goal waived off earlier in the first period when Jon Sim was whistled for a questionable goaltender interference call.

Streit scored a power-play goal at 13:34 of the third to make it 4-1 before Nathan Horton capped the scoring with 28 seconds left.