UNIONDALE, NY - Wade Dubielewicz made plenty of saves in clutch situations this season, but they mostly occurred while playing for minor league Bridgeport.

The last time the Islanders and Rangers squared off, Dubielewicz was the starting netminder for the Sound Tigers and third on the organizational depth chart. Rick DiPietro suffered another blow to the head during that overtime loss to the Blueshirts March 25, and backup Mike Dunham was ineffective in his last two starts.

Pressure? Dubielewicz made his second straight start overall in the series finale against the Rangers and played like a seasoned veteran, stopping Michael Nylander, Brendan Shanahan and Jaromir Jagr in order during the shootout to propel the Isles to a 3-2 victory that kept their slim playoff hopes alive.

Montreal, Toronto and Carolina each won last night, meaning a regulation loss would have knocked the Isles out of the playoffs. Dubielewicz helped his new teammates stave off elimination at least until Thursday, making 36 saves through regulation and overtime before shutting down two future Hall of Fame wingers in the shootout.

“I’m just happy we’re still alive,” Dubielewicz said. “We were fired up out there. A lot of little things we haven’t done the last few games, we did them right tonight.”

Miroslav Satan recorded the game-winner, beating Henrik Lundqvist (32 saves) on a backhand attempt after he faked a forehand shot as the Isles first shooter in the extra session. The Rangers picked up a point but failed to clinch a playoff spot a victory would have provided, while the Islanders finished the season series 5-1-2 after winning the first four meetings.

Rangers coach Tom Renney selected Jagr as his third shooter, hoping his captain could extend the shootout into sudden death. The former MVP could not catch Dubielewicz out of position, as the netminder blocked the shot with his right pad. The puck started to trickle back towards the goal line before it was punched away, and the Isles trail the Canadiens by four points with three games left.

“I just wanted to take away his ice a little bit, maybe force him to deke” Dubielewicz said. “The closer he is to me, the [better] chance I have to stop the puck. That’s really all I was thinking.”

Dubielewicz will start for the third straight time Thursday as he faces a must-win game in the home finale against the Maple Leafs. In order to hold on to their fledging playoff hopes, coach Ted Nolan will need his team to win out and benefit from a Montreal collapse, though on this night they prevented a cross-town rival from celebrating a playoff berth on their home ice.

“We talked about that— if they are going to clinch, let them clinch somewhere else,” Nolan said. “We have to keep our hopes alive and get two points. Playing the Rangers always brings out the spirit in us. “

Satan said he never touched the puck that gave him his 17th goal of the season. He skated in with Alexi Yashin to form a two-on-one. Yashin tried to connect on a centering pass, but the puck deflected off a defenders leg and skipped past Lundqvist, brining a mixture of cheers and boos from the partisan, non-sellout crowd of 15,591.

“He already stopped me a couple of times this season, so he knows what I like to do,” Satan said about facing Lundqvist in the one-on-one contest. “I know how he reacts to certain things. That’s just the way it is. I was on the better end today.

“It’s going to be a little difficult now. It’s not only in our hands, we need some help from other teams. We can just worry about our part and try to win the next game.”

After losing the last two games to the Ranges by 2-1 margins, Nolan put Jason Blake on a line with Arron Asham and Randy Robitallie. That move paid dividends early, as the Isles put up the first five shots while Asham converted a rebound from Robitaillie’s shot for a 1-0 lead 2:52 into the contest.

After criticizing his team passion after a 5-2 loss to Ottawa the last game, the Isles came out with more passion, though the Rangers still managed 17 first period shots. While Satan said he was lucky on his goal, Shanahan also enjoyed a fortuitous bounce after getting his initial shot stopped to finally put the Rangers on the scoreboard in the second.

While playing shorthanded after Jed Ortmeyer’s tripping penalty, the former Red Wing star got his own rebound behind the net and attempted a centering pass. The Isles covered the slot, but the puck glanced off Dubielewicz left leg and caromed into the back of the net.

Jagr tied it nearly four minutes later by taking the puck away from Sean Hill in the Islanders end. He skated around the net before passing it off to Nylander, who nestled a backhand attempt just inside the crossbar for the equalizer 12:52 into the second.

It stayed that way until the shootout, though Shanahan had a chance to win it with 11.2 seconds left in overtime. Playing four-on-three after Brendan Witt was called for holding, Dubielewicz gloved a hard slap shot from just outside the left circle that kept it tied.

Before taking the penalty, Witt nearly won near the end of regulation, beating a screened Lundqvist with a slap shot that ricocheted off the crossbar and back into play. The Isles did eventually gain the two points, and will need to post victories over the Maple Leafs, Flyers and Devils to have any hope of extending their season.

“We’re not eliminated yet,” Witt said. “We have to take it literally one game at a time. I hate to say that stupid cliché, but it’s true. We have to focus now on Toronto coming in.”

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