Moulson's 'trick' leads Islanders past Thrashers
Photo credit: AP | The Islanders' Matt Moulson, right, celebrates his hat trick with teammates Mark Streit, center, and Jack Hillen during the third period. (December 3, 2009)
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Islanders 4, Thrashers 1
ATLANTA - Still waiting for Matt Moulson to taper off? Still expecting this underdog to fade? Don't hold your breath.
Emerging as one of the league's most prominent feel-good stories of the season, Moulson got his first NHL hat trick to lead the Islanders to a 4-1 win over the Thrashers at Philips Arena last night.
The 26-year-old top-line left wing, signed by the Islanders as a free agent this past summer after playing only seven games with the Kings, helped erase a 1-0 deficit and begin the team's four-game road trip with a win.
"It was good," Moulson said of the milestone. "My dad said if I didn't score and we didn't get a win, he'd lock me out."
Moulson's dad, Scott, was in the stands - along with several other fathers on the Islanders' annual "Dads and Mentors Trip'' - to witness Matt's achievement.
Moulson insisted after the game that the Moulsons are not a "sappy family" - and that he may have averted a stern admonishment by tallying that third goal in the third period.
"I thought, 'He's going to kill me if I don't get this hat trick,' '' Moulson said.
With his second multi-goal game this season, Moulson leads the Islanders with 14 goals in 28 games.
"It's great for him," coach Scott Gordon said. "He's doing all the right things and he's being justly rewarded."
Slava Kozlov scored for Atlanta at 9:01 in the first on a nice play created by winger Bryan Little. Little faked, skirted around defenseman Brendan Witt at the left circle and backhanded a pass through the crease to connect with Kozlov, who shot the puck between Dwayne Roloson's legs to give the Thrashers a 1-0 lead.
Moulson tied the score with a laser from above the right circle, picking the top left corner at 1:47 of the second. He had ample time and space as defenseman Ron Hainsey sagged off and Ilya Kovalchuk swept past Moulson on the backcheck after giving him little more than a passing glance.
"I think that's the first slap shot of my NHL career," Moulson joked.
Moulson scored again in the second period on a beautiful breakout pass from Trent Hunter for a power-play goal at 15:46.
Richard Park drew a slashing penalty on a breakaway at 14:15 to give the Islanders their third power play of the game. Moulson converted for the Islanders' first power-play goal in three games as he finessed a fluttering puck past Ondrej Pavelec's right leg to give the Islanders a 2-1 lead heading into the third.
Hunter assisted on Moulson's first two goals, giving him 11 points in his 11 games since he returned from a chest injury that sidelined him for more than a month.
Moulson earned the hat trick at 13:09 of the third when he got a stick on defenseman Mark Streit's cannon from the left point to give the Islanders an insurance goal and a 3-1 lead. John Tavares scored an empty-netter at 19:59.
"I always have something to prove," Moulson said. "Not just to other people but to myself."
Any Moulson doubters left?
If so, time to reconsider.
