Islanders get 40 saves from call-up goalie, beat Wild

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Islanders goalie Jean-Francois Berube, a recent minor league call-up, stops 40 shots, turning Calvin de Haan of the Wild away here, in a 5-3 win.

An NHL team starting its third-string goalie when the top two netminders are healthy and rested usually would be an unorthodox move.

But the Islanders clearly are willing to try unconventional methods to strengthen their hold on a playoff spot.

Jean-Francois Berube was recalled from AHL Bridgeport to unexpectedly start Tuesday’s game against Minnesota, and the rookie made 40 saves to back the Isles to a key 5-3 victory over the Wild at Barclays Center.

Brock Nelson netted his team-best 20th goal of the season to snap a second-period tie for the Isles, who were in danger of dropping out of a playoff position in the Eastern Conference with a regulation loss.

Instead, they improved to 8-8-1 since mid-December. The Isles (26-16-6) began the day with the seventh-most points in the Eastern Conference and in third place in the Metropolitan Division, just one point ahead of Pittsburgh and the Devils.

Isles coach Jack Capuano indicated before the game that he simply was looking to ride a hot hand after Berube went 4-0 with a 0.97 goals-against average and a .967 save percentage for the Sound Tigers over the past two weeks.

Jaroslav Halak had started the Isles’ final four games ahead of the All-Star break, including the first-half finale against Detroit on Jan. 25. Backup Thomas Greiss hasn’t played since Jan. 12 against Columbus.

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Islanders’ Brock Nelson scores his 20th goal of the season in the game.

The 24-year-old Berube, whose only previous NHL appearance came in the second game of the regular season in October while Halak was on the injured list, stopped 19 of 20 shots in the first period and 40 of 43 overall for his first career victory.

“The fact that he’s been playing, playing well…he deserves to get in there,” Capuano said. “We have so much hockey coming up that guys are going to have to be ready to play. Guys that didn’t maybe play as much in the first half are going to see some action, goaltenders as well. We have a 23-man roster and we’re going to use it.”

Rookie defenseman Scott Mayfield also was recalled from Bridgeport to replace veteran Brian Strait in the lineup. Mayfield’s inclusion means top-3 defenseman Johnny Boychuk (shoulder) still wasn’t ready to play, although Capuano indicated Boychuk might return later this week for the first time since Dec. 31.

The Isles rebounded from a 20-12 shot deficit and a 1-0 hole in the first to grab a 2-1 lead on goals by Mikhail Grabovski and Anders Lee by 5:07 of the middle period.

Jason Pominville tied it with a rebound slam at 18:36, but Nelson weaved into the crease to wrist his 20th past Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk to regain the lead just 42 seconds later. Frans Nielsen (15th) added a power-play goal and John Tavares (17th) also scored early in the third for a three-goal cushion, with former Isle Nino Niederreiter making it 5-3 midway through the final period.

MAKEUP DATE
The Isles’ snowed-out home game on Jan. 23 against the Flyers has been rescheduled for April 10, the NHL announced.

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