Before receiving the slew of giveaways, Comeau was bombarded by other light objects almost two hours earlier when his third goal prompted the Nassau Coliseum crowd to send hats crashing to the ice. The celebration was sparked by Comeau’s surging offensive production as the 24-year-old had his first career hat trick to key the Islanders 5-2 win over Chicago on Tuesday night.

The Islanders looked rusty in its first game off the NHL’s two-week Olympic break. But after allowing 22 first-period shots in going down 2-1, the Isles surged to four goals in the second. Comeau capped that barrage, tallying his third goal with 17.3 seconds left off  Rob Schremp and Mark Streit’s crisp passes that set up his shot from the slot.

“It was a great feeling,” Comeau said. “It was a great pass by [Streit]. He had the shot lane and he chose to pass. I was excited and it was good to be able to get the win with it.”

Comeau has six goals in his past three games. After going 151 games without a multi-goal game, Comeau accomplished the feat in back-to-back contests. He scored twice against Ottawa before the Olympic break and added three clutch goals against a Blackhawks team that entered the night trailing San Jose by just two points for the league’s best record.

Dwayne Roloson shrugged off trade rumors and made 41 saves for his first victory since Jan. 21. Roloson said Comeau’s production, which now includes a three-game goal scoring streak, isn’t surprising.

“He’s shooting a lot better but unfortunately I have to see him in practice now,” Roloson said with a grin.

Islanders coach Scott Gordon said he has been trying to encourage Comeau to shoot more instead of focusing on passing during most scoring opportunities. The left-winger responded by firing a team-leading four shots while using a stick that formerly belonged to teammate Trent Hunter.

“It’s the best I felt in awhile,” said Comeau, who has 12 goals. “It’s a confidence booster when you’re contributing offensively.”

Roloson might not be around to face Comeau in practice. The 40-year-old was still with the team last night but saw defenseman Andy Sutton traded earlier in the day. Islanders general manager Garth Snow sent the 6-6 Sutton to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for a 2010 second round draft pick that formerly belonged to San Jose.

Rick DiPietro is still listed as out indefinitely after his surgically repaired left knee swelled up on Sunday. That could mean Snow might not trade Roloson by Wednesday’s deadline. Roloson is signed through next season.

The Islanders won for just the third time in the past 12 games. Gordon’s team has won its last two games but problems persist. A struggling power play unit did not generate any man advantage opportunities against the Blackhawks. The team is just 2-for-41 on the power play in the last 11 games.

Rookie John Tavares was minus-1 in playing just 10:17. The top overall draft pick was held without a goal for the 30th time in the last 32 games.

Islanders vs. Blackhawks Audio Report March 3, 2010

Biron’s patience paid off as the 32-year-old posted wins in consecutive starts in a six-day span. With the impending Olympic break, Biron did his best to showcase his skills before the league’s March 3 trade deadline.

Islanders coach Scott Gordon said Biron is handling the team’s three-man goaltender situation professionally. Dwayne Roloson and Biron started the campaign as a platoon before Rick DiPietro’s return from injury last month.

Roloson started Sunday night against Ottawa and made 31 saves before the Ottawa Senators scored a trio of third-period goals to send the Islanders into the Olympic break with nine losses in its last 11 games.

The logjam regulated Biron to third-string status that resulted in a conditioning stint in AHL Bridgeport. But Biron returned against Nashville last Tuesday after previously appearing for the Islanders back on Dec. 27. He made 24 saves in a win over the Predators and logged another 38 stops to push the club to a 5-4 win over Tampa Bay on Saturday.

Biron’s successful week can give general manager Garth Snow leverage in trade talks while also providing the Islanders fledging playoff hopes a much-needed boost before the two-week stoppage for the winter games.

“Marty is at the point where he just wants to play and he’s not thinking a lot about what’s going to happen before and after the deadline,” Gordon said. “With all the inactivity he when Ricky came back, it’s gotten to the point that he’s just happy to be playing.”

The team’s goal-scorers seem happy that Biron is back. Through two games, the Islanders have scored eight regulation goals. That support was lacking in Biron’s earlier appearances as the Isles scored just nine goals in Biron’s seven games before his inactive stretch from Dec. 27-to-Feb.9.

“He’s probably loving the fact he’s getting some goal support [in] making his job a little easier,” Gordon said.

Biron’s start against Steven Stamkos and the Lightning came after DiPietro was scratched with the flu.  He is 203-173-25-22 with a .911 career save percentage and a 2.61 goals against average.

The Islanders are also getting contributions for another Martin: rookie Matt Martin. The 20-year-old tallied two assists in his NHL debut and used his 6-2 frame to give the Isles toughness that had been lacking earlier this season.

When Tampa Bay’s Mattias Ohlund checked top overall draft pick John Tavares hard into the s bench-side boards, Martin immediately skated over to confront Ohlund before Tampa’s Nate Thompson stepped in.

Martin fought Thompson exchanged numerous punches in a fight that ended in a draw. Martin registered 91 penalty minutes in 53 games for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers before getting promoted.[book id='' /]

Islanders Martin Biron Feature Wrap

Tampa Bay’s Steven Stamkos and New York’s John Tavares played important roles in Saturday’s matinee. But three veterans infused the Islanders youth movement in propelling the club to a 5-4 win over the Lightning.

Doug Weight netted his first goal of the season, Martin Biron posted 38 saves and Richard Park scored twice, including the game-winner off his own rebound with 2:22 remaining to lift the Islanders to its second victory in three games. The 20-year-old Stamkos scored his team-leading 34th goal while added an assists before Tampa Bay lost its second straight.

The Islanders will look enter the two-week Olympic break with momentum by taking on Ottawa on Sunday. Eight losses in the last 10 games, including a seven-game losing skid, has forced head coach Scott Gordon’s team to scramble to stay in playoff contention with 21 games left.

“Out of those seven losses, they are some games in there that we played much better than we did tonight but the puck went in for us,” Gordon said. “Sometimes there isn’t any justice when you play well and you lose.”

Park pushed in Blake Comeau’s rebound shot past goalie Antero Niittymaki for his first goal in 11 games to give the Islanders a 4-3 edge 17:12 into the second. Tampa Bay’s Steve Downie tallied the equalizer just 2:57 into the final period.

Neither Andy Sutton nor Andrew MacDonald covered Downie at the top of the crease, allowing him to easily push in Mattias Ohlund‘s pass.

Park responded in the waning minutes, wearing down Niittymaki and getting a boost from video replay. The Lighting netminder stopped the 34-year-old’s right post shot before the winger grabbed the rebound and moved behind the net.

Niittymaki slid over to make a pad save on the wraparound attempt before Park lifted his third chance high into the net’s right-hand corner. The puck appeared to hit the right post and move out before the video evidence confirmed the rubber touched the net for Park’s first multi-goal game since he torched Phoenix for a pair on Jan. 2, 2009.

“It was a fortunate call for us and we’ll take the two points,” Park said. “I thought it was in, but you never know.”

Rick DiPietro’s return last month relegated Biron to third-string status behind Dwayne Roloson. The 33-year-old Biron did not play in a NHL game for more than a month and was sent down to AHL Bridgeport before being recalled for Tuesday’s start against Nashville.

Biron beat the Predators for his first win since Nov. 11 and followed that up with his second straight victory, making a glove save on Kurtis Foster’s with exactly one minute to go.

The back-to-back wins could help boost Biron’s value to another club with the league’s March 3 trade deadline looming. The 11-year veteran is 4-11-2 on the season.

“Three goalies is not an easy situation for anyone,” Biron said. “We all try and give each other the support we need but we all know it would be this situation for the rest of the year.

“I still feel like I have plenty more I can do. I feel like I can play even better but to get a few wins here will help my confidence moving forward. Maybe that will help out more and who knows what will happen?”

Comeau started his two-point night with the opening goal 7:31 in. Rob Schremp and Comeau pressured Matt Walker in the corner, forcing a turnover. Schremp collected the puck and past to Comeau, who skated laterally across the crease before lifting a high shot off a prone Niittymaki for his seventh goal.

Tampa Bay failed to score on a 1:18 5-on-3 just minutes into the game, tied it almost four minutes later when Stamkos capitalized on Martin St. Louis’ pass for his fifth goal in five games.

Stamkos assisted on Mike Lundin’s goal 3:15 later. Both Stamkos and the 19-year-old Tavares were top overall selections one year apart and wear No. 91.

Like Tavares, Stamkos showed flashes of greatness in his first year. But Stamkos’ additional season of experience paid off when the Lightning prodigy beat Tavares off a right circle faceoff to facilitate Lundin’s goal.

Kyle Okposo helped the Islanders close the defeceit, knocking down a Tampa Bay clearing attempt before finding an open Doug Weight’s first goal fired a shot from the slot off Okposo’s centering pass.

Weight scored his first goal in 30 games, dating back to April 30, 2009 in the previous season’s finale.

Tavares’ rough start turned ugly midway through the second when he turned the puck over on Alex Tanguay’s pressure. The Lightning turned the miscue into a go-ahead scored when former Islander Nate Thompson chipped in a loose puck in the crease for his second goal this season.

Tavares then atoned for the miscue, driving past last season’s No. 2 overall pick Victor Hedman behind Tampa’s net before finding Okposo for a right post tap-in goal to tie it at 3.

“We did some things right to give us those opportunities,” Gordon said. “We went to the net and made it hard for Niittymaki to control his rebounds.”

Park then sandwiched his two goals around Downie’s marker in helping the Islanders improve to 16-11-2 at Nassau Coliseum.

“We’re obviously trying to stay real positive and upbeat,” Park said. “Everyone knows we haven’t been getting the results we’ve wanted, but we’ve kept at it.”

Weight, the 39-year-old Islanders captain, scored his 276^th career goal and also assisted on Park’s final goal.

“It’s great to see a guy like him— a great captain and one of the best guys I’ve ever played with—can still play at a high level and get us going,” Biron said. “His goal gave us a burst of energy. It was great for him.”

Coach Scott Gordon’s trek to his organization’s AHL affiliate two weeks ago showcased Matt Martin’s skills in providing a physical presence and a power play threat.

Gordon’s initial impressions paid off when the 20-year-old Martin capped his NHL debut by assisting on two Islanders power play goals in a 4-3 shootout win over Nashville on Tuesday night.

Martin logged 14:41 in his first game, including 5:05 on the power play. The 2008 fifth-round draft pick found an open Mark Streit at the point, setting up the defenseman’s goal with 11.4 seconds left in regulation to facilitate the comeback win.

“That was the first thing that caught my eye about Matt Martin is his willingness to stand in front of the net on the power play,” Gordon said.

Gordon said he elevated Martin to the first unit power play during the game after the left-handed shot assisted on Bruno Gervais’ second-period power play goal.

Martin didn’t waste time using his physicality, knocking down Predators leading scorer Patric Hornqvist to the ice midway through the opening period. But Martin’s exuberance also brought a career first when he was whistled for interference.

The Isles killed off the penalty while Martin’s speed compensated for his infraction when he drew a Nashville interference call later in the period. That set-up the rookie’s first power play action as the 6-2 forward used his sizable frame to screen goalie Pekka Rinne.

Martin’s efforts earned him the team’s plastic hard hat, awarded to the club’s hardest working player. The headwear was another milestone in Martin’s first professional season, which included nine goals and nine assists through Bridgeport’s first 53 games before the promotion.

“Early on I had some butterflies,” Martin said. “As soon as you get in the rhythm of the game; it’s the same game, just a little quicker. I felt really confident that I could be an NHLer and play at this level.”

Click here to listen to an audio report on Matt Martin’s NHL Debut Feb. 9, 2010

Consider it symbolism for the arena’s home team as the Islanders are desperately looking to find the right direction. The Islanders failed to generate much offense against a goalie making his NHL debut in a 3-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night.

Justin Peters made 34 saves with his family looking on. Only Frans Nielsen’s short-handed goal prevented the shutout as the Islanders saw its season-high losing streak extended to seven games. Coach Scott Gordon saw his team fail to score more than two goals for the eighth straight game, completing a 1-7 stretch in which the team has scored 11 total goals.

“I can go through the whole game and list plenty of chances,” Gordon said. “It’s obviously frustrating.”

The two-week Olympic break can’t come soon enough for the Islanders. But four games remain before the respite, including Tuesday’s home matchup with Nashville followed by a road game against the defending Stanley Cup-champion Pittsburgh Penguins the following night.

Jussi Jokinen continued his career-best season, notching goal No. 20 to open the scoring off a deflection 14:32 in. Jokinen, who posted a 20-goal season for the first time in his five-year career, took advantage of a loose puck after DiPietro deflected a centering pass right to the open winger.

The Islanders power play woes continued. After failing to score on a 28-second 5-on-3 chance, Matt Moulson’s right-post shot appeared to jar the puck past Peters and into the open net with the single-man advantage. The officials waved off the goal, blowing the whistle before Moulson’s scoring attempt sent the puck over the goal line.

Nielsen got the tying goal at the 9:25 mark of the second period, capitalizing on Blake Comeau’s penalty kill work. Comeau forced a turnover behind Carolina’s net before passing it to Nielsen for his eighth goal.

Patrick Dwyer responded with a goal near the left post almost five minutes later for the go-ahead score. Joni Pitkanen, who assisted on Jokinen’s goal, added the insurance marker with one minute left as DiPietro tried to skate to the bench for the extra attacker.

A winless four-game road trip preceded a meeting with a Carolina squad that entered with the Eastern Conference’s fewest points. The Islanders have not won since Jan. 21 despite out-shooting the Hurricanes, 35-25.

“You shouldn’t have to play a perfect game to win,” Gordon said. “That’s the way it’s feeling right now.”

Peters, recalled from the AHL when starter Cam Ward sustained an upper body injury earlier in the week, blanked Comeau on a breakaway just two minutes into the final period. The netminder’s sliding pad save stopped Comeau’s attempt and Carolina killed off two power plays in the third to split a four-game road trip with wins over Buffalo and the Islanders on back-to-back days.

DiPietro said a young Islanders (23-27-8) team has the maturity to end a losing streak before it falls out of contention for the eighth and final playoff spot. Just 24 regular season games remain.

“These are the slides you try to avoid but we have a strong group in here mentally and we have to keep pushing and keep getting better,” DiPietro said. “I think it’s human nature for anyone to press when you get in a situation like this. There’s some added pressure but you have to fight through.”

A struggling Islanders power play unit produced seven shots but no goals in five chances. The team is now 1-for-24 on the power play in the last six games.

New York Sports Day Islanders vs. Carolina Audio Report Feb. 6, 2010

But coach Scott Gordon entrusted the 23-year-old to break a deadlock in the skills session despite Schremp logging just one regulation goal through his first 18 games this season.

The move paid dividends as Schremp tallied the only shootout goal while Dwayne Roloson made 41 saves to lift the Islanders to a 2-1 win over Columbus on Tuesday night.

Schremp has only one goal in 26 career games. Yet the Syracuse native responded to the call by waiting for a moment before lifting a forehand past Blue Jackets goalie Steve Mason for the game-winner.

“He’s one of our most skilled players,” Gordon said. “His hands are second to none on our team. It wasn’t a hard decision to pick him for the shootout.

Roloson stopped Kristian Huselius and Rick Nash on pad saves before blanking Fedor Tyutin in the third round to secure the win after Schremp’s goal. Roloson’s save total marked the second time he cracked the 40-pleatau this season. The other occasion came during a career-high 58 saves against Toronto on Nov. 23.

Josh Bailey ended a 14-game stretch without a goal with a first-period tally. The Islanders (16-18-7) concluded a stretch of eight-of-10 games at home yet failed to make up significant ground, going just 3-5 at Nassau Coliseum.

The Isles offense entered with a league-low 97 goals and the lowest goals-per-game average. Despite the paltry goal-scoring, two of the last three home games ended in wins and the loss was a 2-1 decision to Atlantic Division-rival Philadelphia. The Islanders now play four of its next five on the road starting Thursday against Ottawa.

“We’re finally starting to get our swagger back at home,” Bailey said. “You have to take it game-by-game and hopefully we can focus on Ottawa now and get a win there.”

Columbus, like the Islanders, played its third consecutive one-goal game. Umberger’s backhand goal with 10:13 left in regulation salvaged a point for the Blue Jackets one night after a win over the defending Western Conference champion Detroit Red Wings.

Roloson prevented Columbus from earning two points, stopping all of Nash’s six shots before making a nifty save on the four-time 30-goal scorer in the shootout.

Nash, who has 213 career goals at age 25, said his Blue Jackets (15-18-8) are starting to improve after earning points in consecutive games for the first time since Dec. 10.

“We didn’t make it easy on ourselves, but every point matters,” Nash said. “When you play against an Eastern Conference team, even a single point is a big deal. This little stretch before the break, we’re going to need to win as many games as we can to make up some ground.”

Defenseman Milan Jurcina and forward Chris Clark played their first games for the Blue Jackets after coming to Columbus in a Monday trade with the Washington Capitals for winger winger Jason Chimera. Clark, who served as Washington’s captain, logged one shot shot in 13:49 of ice time. Jurcina played 21:31.

“We added two more good guys here,” Umberger said. “Clark is going to add a lot of leadership and veteran presence. Let’s see what happens here the next couple of games and get some more points.”

The Islanders power play was scoreless on four opportunities and is 1 for 37 in the past nine games.

Islanders vs. Columbus Sportsday Audio Report Dec. 30, 2009

But Islanders coach Scott Gordon said it’s a trade-off he’ll gladly take after Kyle Okposo pushed a shot that hit off Marc Staal and past Henrik Lundqvist for game-winner in a 3-2 overtime victory over the Rangers on Saturday night.

Okposo capped a three-point evening by scoring his first goal in 19 games to snap the Rangers four-game winning streak. Dwayne Roloson posted 36 saves while Frans Nielsen and Blake Comeau also scored to help the Islanders win for the second straight game.

“His work ethic is second to none our team,” Gordon said regarding Okposo’s slump-busting goal 4:13 into overtime. “He’s been making some plays that is giving other players opportunities to score goals.”

Okposo scored a team-leading 18 goals in his first full season in the previous campaign but tallied just his sixth goal when his right-point shot beat Lundqvist stick-side. His shot quieted the Madison Square Garden crowd as teammates rushed off the bench to greet him.

“Something I pride myself on is never giving up and knowing that it’s [goal-scoring] going to come and just keep playing well,” Okposo said. “It’s something I have to do for my team.”

Olympic team selections are also close to being finalized, giving Okposo a chance to impress the Team USA staff. The 21-year-old winger said he would relish the chance to play for his country but insisted he is not worried about making the cut. Okposo has 26 points in 38 games.

“Hopefully I’ll hear my name called but it’s not up to me and I’ll try to keep my mind off it until then,” Okposo said. “I feel like I’ve played pretty well and it’s not up to me anymore.”

Brandon Dubinsky scored two clutch third-period goals to force overtime, including a backhand rebound goal with 46.6 seconds remaining in regulation to salvage a point for the Rangers.

The Islanders won two out of the three games against the Rangers in an eight-day span, including both wins at the Garden. Yet the Blueshirts (40 points) still own an advantage over the Islanders (37) in the Atlantic Division.

The Rangers erased a two-goal deficit in third, out-shooting the Isles, 15-5. Lundqvist finished with 18 saves to help the Blueshirts pick up points in six of the last seven games (4-1-2).

“The way we came back with that lead, it always feels really good to at least get a point,” Lundqvist said.

The Rangers ended Roloson’s bid for his first shutout this season when Dubinsky scored 6:07 in. His goal from the left post tied it with less than minute left, marking his sixth goal this year. It was his first two-goal game since Oct. 3 against Ottawa.

Okposo entered with just one assist in last six games but ignited the Islanders offense, assisting on the first two goals for his first multi-point game since a two-assist showing against Boston Dec. 12.

Josh Bailey and Okposo, two former first-round draft picks, entered on cold streaks but turned in crisp passing plays to facilitate Nielsen’s game-opening tap-in goal 7:45 into the first.

Bailey, who logged just one assist in his past 11 games, raced to a dump-in behind the Rangers net and fired a pass to Okposo before the winger turned and hit an open Nielsen with a spinning lateral backhand feed. Nielsen pushed in the puck from the left post for his sixth tally.

Okposo’s three-points represented a season-high and earned him the team’s replica hard-hat Islanders players give to their selected most valuable player after a win.

“Anytime you go through a situation he’s been going through, you start to press,” Roloson said. “I was telling him just get shots on net. Sooner or later they’ll go in.

“He’s a good player and it’s good for our team for him to start scoring. It’s only going to allow us to have greater success.”

The Islanders sputtering power play unit failed to even register a shot on its first three chances. Gordon’s team is 1 for 30 with the extra man in the last seven games.

But the Isles still capitalized on an extra-man situation, torching the Rangers for Comeau’s shorthanded marker 14:21 into the second period.

Like the opening goal, Okposo registered the primary assist. As Michael Del Zotton and Ales Kotalik overcommitted along the bench-side boards on a Rangers power play, Okposo chipped the puck to an open Comeau, who raced in alone before sliding a point-blank shot past Lundqvist for a shorthanded goal.

“That’s just Kyle battling,” Gordon said. “It’s just hard work and second effort and anyone who is an Islander fan knows about that. And he does it in all situations.”

Comeau’s fourth goal came one game after he added an empty net goal in the Islanders previous win against Toronto. Comeau scored just two goals in his first 21 games this season.

“I was too aggressive there,” Lundqvist said about Comeau’s short-handed marker. “I should have been patient there and waited on him. I made the first move and I lost.”

Notes: The holiday spirit didn’t extend much beyond the opening faceoff when Bruno Gervais, who entered with just 10 penalty minutes in 32 games, engaged Sean Avery in a rare fight that drew the Islanders first power play 2:28 in. Avery was tagged with an additional unsportsmanlike conduct penalty…Weather conditions prevented referee Dean Morton making it to the arena for the first period, giving the game a throwback feel with just one referee working with two linesmen. Morton was on the ice for the second period.

Islanders Kyle Okposo Olympic Wrap Sportsday Dec. 29, 2009

Horton inspired Islanders fans to get on their feet Monday night, though the Panthers forward also had many at the Nassau Coliseum racing for the exits early in the third period as the Islanders surrendered a season-high goal total in a 7-1 drubbing to the Panthers.

Two goals in 55 seconds to start the final period turned a 3-1 deficit into a blowout as the Islanders lost for the fourth time in five games. Horton netted his second career hat trick as part of a four-point night.

“Every player needs to do some soul searching and go home and think about what happened,” Islanders defenseman Mark Streit said.

Jesse Joensuu provided the only highlight for the Islanders with his first goal of the season 4:17 into the second period. Joenssu’s goal just in front of the Florida net cut it to 2-1 before the Panthers scored five unanswered goals.

Three turnovers led to Florida goals, including giveaways by Streit, Bruno Gervais and rookie John Tavares. Dwayne Roloson was lifted after giving up Stephen Weiss’ goal 55 seconds into the third to make it 5-1 and Martin Biron gave up the final two goals to help the Panthers conclude a four-game road trip 2-2.

The Islanders now head into a crucial home-and-home series against the Rangers starting Wednesday at Madison Square Garden. Both coach Scott Gordon and Roloson said the lure of two key Atlantic Division games against a local rival might have contributed to the malaise. Ten Florida players logged at least one point.

“I don’t think we had anybody going tonight,” Gordon said. “That was a collective effort and hopefully we can walk away from this game knowing we played our worst and we can be ready for the next two games against the Rangers.”

Roloson was beat on breakaways from Michal Repik 14:28 into the contest and Horton’s shorthanded one-on-one goal to make it 3-1 at 12:40 of the second. Both breakaways came after Panthers players took the puck away from Islanders’ defenseman. Sandwiched around those goals was Horton’s first tally that deflected off Islanders defenseman Jack Hillen and past Roloson.

Florida goalie Thomas Vokoun experienced better luck and was also sharp when needed in making 20 saves. Vokoun has won 11 of 15 games against the Islanders in his career.

“I prepare the same for every game,” Vokoun said. “You have your teams where you do better and I really don’t have the answer why is that. It’s not like I do something different when we play the Islanders.

“I’m just glad we got two points today and that’s the most important [thing].”

Steve Tambellini was likely not counted among the announced crowd of 8,889. But Edmonton’s general manager was in attendance and watched his son play the best game of his professional life.

Jeff Tambellini netted his first career hat trick to lift the Isles (4-4-5) to .500 for the month of October after the club lost its first six games to start the campaign.

Tambellini is working to shed the label as a forward who can dominate the minor league-AHL but can’t score enough at the game’s highest level. Tambellini scored at least 20 goals in all three of his AHL seasons but had just 11 goals in his first 143 games for the Islanders.

Yet Tambellini capped his hottest goal-scoring streak as an NHL player with his father in attendance. The 25-year-old scored twice against Buffalo goalie Ryan Miller, who entered the game 8-0 with a 1.65 goals-against average.

Tambellini now has six goals in the past five games, including two mulit-goal games in the past four contests after never reaching the plateau in parts of his first four seasons on Long Island. Those numbers seem surprising, though Tambellini said he expected that level of performance.

“This is the way I usually play,” said Tambellini, who scored 96 in 169 career minor league games. “Last year was my first full year in the NHL and before that I was playing in the American League and this was the way it went. I just feel like I’m back doing my thing again.”

Coach Scott Gordon paired Tambellini on a line with second-year center Josh Bailey and veteran team captain Doug Weight.  The trio combined for five points as the Islanders ended Buffalo’s (8-2-1) four-game winning streak. The Sabres lost for the first time in five road games.

Hats crashed to the Coliseum ice when Tambellini completed the hat trick with just 4:18 left. Kyle Okposo’s shot hit off backup netminder Patrick Lalime and was trickling back towards the goal line before Tambellini pushed it through.

Gordon said it’s taken Tambellini time to find a way to consistently beat higher-caliber goaltending and produce like he did for the Islanders’ minor league-affiliate
Bridgeport Sound Tigers.

“It’s a hard thing when you’ve had success in the past to know you can get by on your shot alone if you get to the right places on the perimeter,” Gordon said. “His shot is going to beat a lot of American League goalies but the goalies are so good in the NHL and the time and space is a lot different.

“Now, he’s getting himself to the front of the net.”

Tambellini will have another chance to make an impression on his father when the Islanders host Edmonton Monday night.  The Oilers enter with a 7-6-1 record.

“We felt like we had a good team to start the year,” Tambellini said. “We felt like we can make a real stride from last year. This puts us back on the map and right in the thick of things in the East.”

But the Islanders once again allowed the opposition to build positive momentum after blowing a two-goal lead for a second straight home game. Unlike in the shootout win over Carolina, rookie John Tavares couldn’t bail the Isles out this time as Washington scored three unanswered goals to leave Nassau Coliseum with a 3-2 overtime victory Saturday night.

Defenseman Mike Green cut the Islanders’ lead to 2-1 with his slap shot goal 6:02 into the third and assisted on Brooks Laich’s overtime winner as the Isles (1-4-4) wasted a third-period lead for the third home game this season.

“It’s not going to be easy for us and we have to understand that and just make sure we develop a killer instinct,” Islanders coach Scott Gordon said. “To me, that’s the separation between the teams that do have that: success in the third period, and we haven’t had that.”

Washington (6-2-2) was out-shot 16-8 in the final stanza yet scored the last two goals to force overtime before recording its fifth straight win over the Islanders. Keith Aucoin followed Green’s score by drilling a shot that caromed off Islanders forward Josh Bailey’s leg to tie it with 6:50 remaining.

Laich secured the win exactly one minute into overtime when he gained possession on defenseman Mark Streit in front of the crease to tip Green’s centering pass behind goalie Dwayne Roloson (21 saves) for his fourth goal.

“On the ice, they were showing a little fatigue on their faces,” Laich said. “They looked a little bit tired and we were pouring it on and we just wanted to keep going.”

Streit contributed one of his team’s 25 blocked shots in a defensive effort that held Alex Ovechkin to just two shots in 26:48. The blue liner said the wasted chances can hopefully provide lessons for an inexperienced Islanders unit.

“We have a young team and games like that, you have to learn,” Streit said. “It’s not going a week or two. It’s way longer than that. We have to battle and improve our game and finally win games like that.”

Jose Theodore made 28 saves, including 15 in the third. The netminder made two highlight-worthy stops on Kyle Okposo to keep Islanders lead at 2-1 in the third. Theodore made the initial save on Okposo’s front-of-the-crease shot before gloving the rebound after Okposo collected the rebound.

“I said ‘that’s the save that’s going to save us,’” Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau said. “It was a bang-bang play. He’s played so well for us and yet we’ve let games slip away. So I was really happy that he was able to be in there for the win.”

The Islanders held a potent Washington offense scoreless in four power play chances and even opened the scoring on Radek Martinek’s shorthanded marker 12:14 in that helped the club pick up a point.

Gordon has talked about utilizing an aggressive fore-check to generate transition. The Islanders embodied that philosophy on Martinek’s tally.

Frans Nielsen collected the puck in the neutral zone and raced into the zone before backhanding a pass to Martinek, who rifled a between-the-circles slap shot past Theodore for the Islanders’ second shorthanded goal of the season.

Jeff Tambellini, who was one of three Islanders to score in the shootout win over Carolina, picked up first official goal this season after deflecting Blake Comeau’s shot in for a 2-0 lead 3:44 into the final period.

Tambellini gained possession in front of defenseman Shaone Morrison at the right post, deflecting a shot that skipped past Theodore’s glove-side.

But Green showed the skills that made him a Norris Trophy-finalist last season, blasting a shot from the top of the right circle that beat Roloson high stick-side to cut it to 2-1 before the Capitals completed the comeback.

“They came ready to play but we didn’t panic,” Theodore said. “It was a huge win.”

The Islanders registered a 70 percent success rate on faceoffs, winning 46 out of 66. Richard Park won a game-high 15 out of 21 chances, including offensive zone draws that Boudreau said made him nervous.

“I was just praying for no more faceoffs in our own zone,” Boudreau said. “Usually we’re fairly good at that. We got terribly outplayed in the faceoff circle tonight.”

Notes: Sean Bergenheim nearly picked up his season’s first goal when the forward tried to bank the puck off a prone Theodore’s pads midway through the opening period. The netminder extended his glove at the goal line as the Islanders crashed the right post. Bergenheim did pick up his first point in nine games this season when he assisted on the opening goal…The Islanders drew an announced crowd of 11,541 after setting a season-low of 9,122 in the previous home game against the Hurricanes…The Isles (32) were credited with 10 more hits than the Capitals.