Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Afternoon delight: Moulson’s hat trick leads Isles, Toews and Kane key Hawks to victory

Florida Panthers v New York Islanders

XXX XXXX #00 of the Florida Panthers checks XXXX XXXXX #00 of the New York Islanders during the first period of an NHL hockey game at the Nassau Coliseum on February 21, 2011 in Uniondale, New York.

Paul Bereswill

NY Islanders 5 - Florida 1

The Islanders stayed hot and delivered a gut punch to the playoff hopes of the Panthers thanks to Matt Moulson’s hat trick. Moulson ran his goal total this season to 26 after his three goal blow up to sink the Panthers. The game saw Rule 48 come into play late in the first period when Panthers forward Stephen Weiss was called for an elbowing major after connecting to the head of Isles defenseman Radek Martinek. Weiss was kicked out of the game for the infraction while Martinek stayed in the game and scored a goal during the major penalty. Payback is more fun that way. Isles goalie Al Montoya had to stop just 20 shots to earn the win as Mike Santorelli was the lone Panther to get one by him. Tomas Vokoun’s day was miserable allowing four goals and stopping 32 shots.

Chicago 5 - St. Louis 3

The Blackhawks were down fast in the this game, down 2-0 after the first period when Andy McDonald and Brad Boyes each notched goals for St. Louis. The intermission shook something loose for Chicago as they stormed out in the second period with three goals and never relinquished the lead on their way to an important win over the Blues. Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, and Marian Hossa each had a goal and an assist to help get the Blackhawks while Corey Crawford settled down after an awful first period to make 31 saves in the win. Ben Bishop’s second straight start for St. Louis didn’t end the way he wanted, he was pulled after giving up the fourth goal to Chicago in the second period, a Toews power play goal at 12:40 of the period. Ty Conklin replaced him and stopped all seven shots he saw. For Chicago, the win gives them 68 points and pulls them into a five-way tie for seventh in the Western Conference.