Comeau's deflection in OT lifts Islanders

After being robbed by the post two times earlier in the game, Blake Comeau tallied the overtime game-winner last night, deflecting Radek Martinek's shot to give the Islanders a 4-3 victory over the Maple Leafs at Nassau Coliseum.

With 4:02 gone in the five-minute period, Comeau extended his stick blade to get a piece of Martinek's slapper, thwarting a strong comeback effort by the Leafs.

"[Josh] Bailey did a good job down low," Comeau said. "We had some really good chances all night. [Martinek] shot it and I was lucky enough to get my stick on it."

The Islanders hit five posts in the game and squandered plenty of prime scoring opportunities before Comeau's winner. Comeau has four goals in his past four games to give him 19 overall.

"[Matt] Moulson hit the post, I hit a couple of post," said Comeau, "but we did a good job sticking together and getting chances."

Said Frans Nielsen: "He could've had a couple more [goals]. You feel bad, but it was good he got the game-winner."

Three times the Islanders took one-goal leads and three times the Leafs came from behind to tie the game.

After eliminating two deficits in the second period, the Leafs rallied in the third after Michael Grabner's go-ahead goal at 8:40.

The 23-year-old rookie teed up the puck off his skate to score his 27th goal of the season, one shy of team leader Matt Moulson.

With the Leafs trailing 3-2, Nikolai Kulemin answered 1:08 later, shoving the puck between the pads of goaltender Al Montoya at 9:48.

After a scoreless first period filled with plenty of quality chances, the Islanders scored twice in the second. But the Leafs responded each time.

After drawing iron three times -- Comeau and Moulson hit the post and Bailey rang one off the crossbar -- the Islanders finally converted.

"Sometimes it's like that," Martinek said. "You get great scoring chance and you hit the post, hit the goalie or miss the net. Sometimes it's just a little tip and it's in."

Posting up in the crease after winning an offensive-zone faceoff, fourth-liner Zenon Konopka deflected defenseman Milan Jurcina's shot in front for a 1-0 lead at 2:15.

The Leafs tied the game 34 seconds later on defenseman Keith Aulie's first goal of the season.

The Islanders hit another pair of posts before taking a 2-1 lead midway through the second.

Comeau was robbed for the second time and Kyle Okposo's deflection hit the post before it took a bounce to Nielsen. Nielsen buried the puck for the go-ahead goal at 11:17.

With a little more than a minute to play in the second period, Tim Brent cruised into the crease behind defensemen Jurcina and Bruno Gervais to knot the game at 2. Colby Armstrong stripped the puck from Gervais in the Islanders' defensive zone and Brent was there to score on his rebound and erase the Islanders' second one-goal lead of the period at 18:44.