Kevin Poulin is the people's choice. And for the moment, the young goaltender is also the coach's preference.
Given a second straight start in net over veteran Evgeni Nabokov for the first time this season, Poulin rewarded Islanders coach Jack Capuano with 32 saves and 54:30 of scoreless hockey. The performance paved the way to a much-needed 3-1 bounce-back victory over the Predators at Nassau Coliseum. The win came on the heels of an empty four-game road trip.
The home crowd certainly approved of Capuano's decision, cheering the 23-year-old Poulin at every opportunity. There was a lot to be happy about for Islanders fans Tuesday night, and the youngster's continued impressive play between the pipes, which drew loud "Pou-lin" chants throughout, was just one of many reasons.
While Poulin, a fourth-year pro, was solid, the rest of the Islanders performed far better than they had during the four-game losing streak. They dominated puck possession, limited Nashville's scoring opportunities and outclassed their opponent, playing the kind of desperate, end-to-end hockey that typified last season's playoff run.
The Islanders entered action closer to the Metropolitan division basement than its penthouse, with 60 goals allowed, the third most in the conference.
Captain John Tavares scored once and assisted on a Kyle Okposo goal. Pierre-Marc Bouchard added his fourth of the year as the Islanders put together arguably their most complete 60 minutes of hockey of the season.
The Islanders couldn't have asked for a better start after the ugly road trip. They peppered Nashville goaltender Marek Mazanec with 16 shots in the first period, finally breaking through at the 15:30 mark on their third power-play opportunity.
Tavares got his eighth goal of the year on a nifty Frans Nielsen cross-ice feed that found the first-line center all alone in the slot. Bouchard extended the lead 1:53 later with a bad-angle goal while veering toward the net after a Nielsen faceoff win that seemed to catch Mazanec off guard.
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