National Hockey League
BOXSCORE | RECAP
NY Islanders 5, Dallas 4
When: 8:30 PM ET, Saturday, December 3, 2011
Where: American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
Referees: Dean Morton, Brad Meier
Linesmen: Dan Schachte, Tim Nowak
Attendance: 14423

Matt Moulson recorded his third career hat trick and then snapped a tie with his fourth goal of the contest late in the second period as the New York Islanders capped an impressive road trip with a 5-4 triumph over the Dallas Stars on Saturday.

P.A. Parenteau and John Tavares notched three assists apiece and Al Montoya relieved Rick DiPietro to start the third period and stopped all 13 shots he faced. With the victory, New York collected seven out of a possible eight points on its four-game road trip (3-0-1).

After Moulson tallied twice to stake New York to an early lead in the first period, he completed the hat trick by converting Tavares' brilliant backhanded cross-slot feed at 5:57 of the second.

Moulson then answered Tom Wandell's tally with his fourth of the contest just 62 seconds later. Moulson gave the Islanders a 5-4 lead after he accepted Parenteau's cross-slot feed and wristed a shot from the left faceoff circle for his 13th goal of the season.

Eric Nystrom scored for the fifth time in as many games and Tomas Vincour and Jake Dowell netted their first goals of the season for Dallas, which fell to 4-2-1 in its last seven contests.

New York's Nino Niederreiter, who was the fifth overall pick of the 2010 draft, exited the contest after his first shift following a brutal hit to the head by defenseman Mark Fistric. The 19-year-old did not return.
Top Game Performances
 
NY Islanders   Dallas
Matt Moulson 4 Points Jake Dowell 2
Matt Moulson 4 Goals Jake Dowell 1
PA Parenteau 3 Assists Jake Dowell 1
Matt Moulson 1 Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Al Montoya 1.000 Save Percentage Andrew Raycroft .815
Rick DiPietro 17 Saves Andrew Raycroft 22
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
NY Islanders 27 5 1-3 2-2 8 31
Dallas 34 4 0-2 2-3 10 27
Upcoming Games
  • Dallas will play their next game on the road against San Jose. The Stars have a W/L % of .625 after a win and .500 after a loss.
  • NY Islanders will play their next game at home against Tampa Bay. The Islanders have a W/L % of .429 after a win and .294 after a loss.