Tavares leads Isles to victory

The Islanders finally have whittled their playoff deficit to single digits.

But with just 33 games remaining after an important 5-2 win Tuesday in Carolina, the Isles know they must let their play speak for itself over the next several weeks, continuing with Friday's visit to Ottawa.

"If we're talking about (the standings) a lot, we're talking about the wrong thing," coach Jack Capuano said upon his team reconvening after the All-Star break. "We know where we are."

The Isles moved to within nine points of No. 8 Toronto in the Eastern Conference behind All-Star center John Tavares' four-point performance against the Hurricanes. Carolina had erased a two-goal hole 6:55 into the third period, but Tavares regained the lead with his first of two goals just 41 seconds later.

"I told (linemates) Matt (Moulson) and Kyle (Okposo) we needed a response," Tavares told Newsday. "And there's no better response than scoring a goal."

"It was a great shift," Capuano added. "That's what that line's been doing for us. (The Hurricanes) got the momentum and we countered."

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