Bonino, Vey score in Canucks’ 3-2 win over Islanders
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) -- Nick Bonino and Linden Vey scored in the second period to snap long goal droughts, and the Vancouver Canucks beat the New York Islanders 3-2 on Tuesday night.
Ryan Stanton added his first goal in more than a year as Vancouver (23-12-3) improved to 5-1-1 in its last seven games. Eddie Lack made 21 saves for the Canucks in his first start since Dec. 17.
Matt Martin and Mikhail Grabovski scored for New York (26-13-1), which got 17 saves from Jarolsav Halak. The Islanders were coming off a 5-2 loss at Edmonton on Sunday night.
Vancouver grabbed a 2-1 lead at 8:01 of the second period after New York defenseman Thomas Hickey tried to clear the puck up the middle of the Islanders zone.
It was intercepted by Kevin Bieksa at the blue line and he fired a shot that Bonino redirected in front of Halak. He shoveled in the rebound for his ninth goal.
Bonino pumped his fist as he celebrated his first goal in eight games and his second in 24.
Vey made it 3-1 at 17:36 after another mistake by Hickey, who turned over the puck at the Vancouver blue line on a rush. Derek Dorsett fed a streaking Vey, who moved in alone and fired a shot through Halak's pads for his sixth of the season and first in 13 games.
Vey was expected to be a healthy scratch for the second straight game, but he got into the lineup after Canucks leading scorer Radim Vrbata came down with an illness.
The Canucks held the Islanders to two shots through the first 10 minutes of the third. Lack was rarely threatened until Grabovski scored his sixth goal and first in 11 games off a pass from Kyle Okposo after Bieksa's turnover at 14:33.
The Canucks reunited Alexandre Burrows with Henrik and Daniel Sedin on the No. 1 for the first time this season.
Lack got the start in place of No. 1 goalie Ryan Miller, who is 4-1-1 in his last six games with a .950 save percentage.
The Islanders opened the scoring at 9:38 of the first period after defenseman Travis Hamonic moved down the right side. He threw the puck in front to Martin, who fought off a check from Bieksa and directed in his fourth goal.
The Canucks tied it less than three minutes later from an unlikely source. Brad Richardson jumped on a New York turnover behind the Islanders net and came out in front.
Halak made the first save, but the rebound squirted to Stanton, and the pinching defenseman scored his first goal in 84 games, dating to Oct. 17, 2013, against Buffalo.
NOTES: The Canucks lost Richardson to a lower-body injury in the second period. ... Grabovski's goal was his second in 22 games. ... Vancouver will continue a five-game homestand on Thursday against former Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo and the Florida Panthers. ... The Islanders will visit the New Jersey Devils on Friday.
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