Bailey, Islanders top Coyotes for fifth straight win

UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- Josh Bailey had a goal and an assist, and the New York Islanders won their fifth straight game, 4-2 against the Arizona Coyotes at Nassau Coliseum on Thursday.

Derick Brassard, Anders Lee and Scott Mayfield also scored, and Semyon Varlamov made 21 saves for New York (6-3-0), which has allowed nine goals over the winning streak. Brock Nelson had two assists.
"I liked our effort; it was probably one of our more complete games start to finish against a very good team," Islanders coach Barry Trotz said. "I liked that we came out and set the tone. We were sort of dogs on a bone right off the bat."
WATCH: [All Coyotes vs. Islanders highlights]
Michael Grabner and Conor Garland scored, and Darcy Kuemper made 18 saves for Arizona (5-3-1), which had won four in a row. It was the first time Kuemper allowed more than two goals since March 23 (14 starts).

"A little humble pie for the team," Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet said. "I thought some guys were, whether it was sluggish or whatever, you've got to play with your nose over the puck, not on your heels. I thought we were on our heels a little bit, so that's what happens."
Bailey gave the Islanders a 2-1 lead at 14:03 of the second period on a one-timer from the slot after Nick Leddy sent a pass from the left circle.
It was vindication for Bailey after Grabner tied it 1-1 at 10:20 of the first when he skated in alone and scored on a wrist shot from the left face-off circle after Bailey turned the puck over at the Coyotes blue line.
"No matter what happens, I think hockey can be a funny game sometimes," said Bailey, who has eight points (four goals, four assists) in nine games. "Those things are going to happen. You find a way to rebound and bounce back, and we did that."
Lee gave the Islanders a 3-1 lead eight minutes into the third when he took a pass from Bailey and managed to backhand a shot while falling down past Kuemper.

It was the first time the Coyotes allowed three goals in regulation this season.
Garland scored with Kuemper pulled for an extra attacker at 18:55 of the third, but Mayfield scored an empty-net goal at 19:48 for the 4-2 final.
Brassard scored his first goal in nine games with the Islanders at 1:25 of the first period on a redirection of Ryan Pulock's slap pass for a 1-0 lead.

"It's kind of been hard a little bit," said Brassard, who signed a one-year contract with New York on Aug. 21. "I think we had like eight power plays in nine games … like our unit, I think we haven't touched the ice in like four games. It's nice to go out there and try and get a feel for the puck, and sometimes you get your confidence by going there, and I think it's been four games we haven't had the chance to go.
"But 5-on-5, this League is hard. You try and find some chemistry with your teammates, try to get a feel for everyone, take those couple of games to kind of try and set myself in a role here. … But I felt really comfortable tonight."
Cole Bardreau, who played his second NHL game, was denied his first goal when Kuemper got enough of his backhand attempt on a breakaway at 7:32 of the first.

They said it

"We need to figure out what to do against teams that play like that. Their 'D' were really active going down, playing low, their wingers and centers switching up top. We kind of got a little bit in between like, 'Who's taking who?' and they got some extended zone time through that stuff. We know that not everyone plays like that obviously, but when we play teams like that, we've got to figure it out and talk a little more in our 'D' zone and stop these cycles and stuff quicker." -- Coyotes forward Michael Grabner
"Even some of the other games, we found ways to win, even if it wasn't pretty. I think that's part of being a good team. Just because you might not have your best every night, it doesn't mean you need to give it up. I think we realize that, and on those nights, we've been grinding and finding ways. Tonight, it was good to kind of have a complete effort, and hopefully we can carry it into [Friday] night." -- Islanders forward Josh Bailey

Need to know

The Coyotes were 0-for-3 on the power play; they were 7-for-18 during their winning streak. … Arizona forward Nick Schmaltz's six-game point streak (three goals, six assists) ended. … Islanders center Casey Cizikas played for the first time since Oct. 8; he missed five games because of a lower-body injury. … New York has won seven straight home games against Arizona. … Islanders center Mathew Barzal's three-game goal streak ended. … Nelson has 53 points (27 goals, 26 assists) in 69 NHL career games in October. … New York forward Leo Komarov is likely to miss at least two more games because of an illness. He was placed on injured reserve before the game.

What's next

Coyotes:At the New Jersey Devils on Friday (7 p.m. ET; MSG+, FS-A PLUS, NHL.TV)
Islanders: At the Ottawa Senators on Friday (7:30 p.m. ET; RDS2, TSN5, MSG+ 2, NHL.TV)