Barkov, Panthers edge Islanders for third straight win

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Aleksander Barkov scored the tiebreaking goal in the third period to help the Florida Panthers defeat the New York Islanders 4-2 at BB&T Center on Saturday.

Mike Hoffman extended his point streak to 11 games with a goal, and Denis Malgin scored his first goal of the season for the Panthers (5-5-3). Evgenii Dadonov extended his point streak to 10 games with an assist, and Roberto Luongo made 29 saves.
Florida has won three in a row after starting the season 2-5-3.
WATCH: [All Islanders vs. Panthers highlights]
"I think we're finding a pretty good rhythm," Luongo said. "Heading into the third period we have that confidence that we're going to pull it out, whether they're tied, ahead or trailing. It's a little bit of the same feeling toward the end of last year and it's just a matter of keeping going here."
Mathew Barzal and Brock Nelson scored for the Islanders (8-6-2), who have lost three in a row after a five-game winning streak. Robin Lehner made 27 saves.
"Tonight we were in a pretty good spot on the road, tied, just go out there and win a period and win a game," Nelson said. "We weren't able to do it. We want to stop it now and get going."
Barkov made it 3-2 nine seconds into a 4-on-3 man advantage when he beat Lehner with a wrist shot from the left circle at 4:43 of the third period.
"For me, it's like we've been yelling at him every day to shoot the puck," Panthers coach Bob Boughner said. "And it was a heck of a shot. He works so hard and he's so unselfish, it was nice to see him get paid off."

Malgin gave Florida a 1-0 lead at 6:18 of the first period when he redirected Jared McCann's pass from behind the net. Barzal tied the game 1-1 at 7:28 with a backhand on a breakaway after a turnover in the neutral zone. Nelson gave the Islanders a 2-1 lead at 8:10 of the second period with a shot from the slot.
"We knew they were going to have push in their building," Islanders coach Barry Trotz said. "We were up 2-1, then gave up a late goal, then 2-2. They get the power-play goal and all of a sudden, you're chasing them. We really couldn't generate much after that goal."

Hoffman extended the longest active point streak in the NHL at 19:14 of the second period when he got a loose puck behind the net and his backhand shot ricocheted off the skate of Islanders defenseman Ryan Pulock.
"When you've got things going your way, it seems like they just seem to follow," Hoffman said. "A little puck luck, but it was a big, timely goal for us. When things are going your way you just want to ride that wave as long as you can."

With Lehner pulled for an extra skater, Luongo made a pad save on Anders Lee on a rebound with a little over a minute left. Troy Brouwer scored an empty-net goal with one second left to make it 4-2.
"We had to rely on [Luongo] early, which we don't want to have to do," Panthers coach Bob Boughner said. "We talked about that before the game, getting off to a better start. We didn't. [Luongo] stood tall for us. Even at the end of the game there when he made that big save in the slot, that's what he provides us every night. Guys are having fun playing in front of him."

They said it

"Right now we're getting tested and not getting the breaks we need here and there. We just have to play through it." -- Islanders coach Barry Trotz
"It all started in Finland. We played two really good games in Finland and won the (second) one (against the Winnipeg Jets). That's when we got our confidence and that's when we learned how to win games, and of course [Luongo] has been unbelievable in our net and giving us a chance to win every game." -- Panthers center Aleksander Barkov

Need to know

Hoffman, who has 12 points (seven goals, five assists) during his point streak, joined Pavel Bure as the only Panthers with a point streak of at least 11 games. Bure did it three times, including a Florida-record 13-game streak in 1999-2000. ... Barzal and Pulock each played his 100th NHL game. … The Islanders were 0-for-4 on the power play. … Dadonov, who has 12 points (six goals, six assists) during his point streak, joined Hoffman, Bure, Jussi Jokinen and Olli Jokinen as Panthers with a point streak of at least 10 games.

What's next

Islanders:Host the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; MSG+, SNP, NHL.TV)
Panthers: Host the Ottawa Senators on Sunday (5 p.m. ET; TVAS, FS-F, TSN5, NHL.TV)