DALLAS — John Tavares scored with 1:24 to go and Brock Nelson added an empty-netter, leading the streaking Islanders to a 4-2 victory over the slumping Stars on Sunday.
Kyle Okposo had two goals in New York’s fourth consecutive victory. The Islanders (18-22-7) also have won seven straight road games.
The Islanders rallied past the Stars after trailing 2-0 after one period for the second time in a week. Taveras had four goals and three assists in the two games. Thomas Vanek had four assists and Okposo had two goals.
“We’re competing. We’re defending a little better,” Islanders coach Jack Capuano said of the team’s recent success. “Playing more within the team concept. I think when you can utilize your four lines that we do, a lot of guys the minutes are distributed.”
Ray Whitney and Sergei Gonchar scored first-period goals for the Stars against goalie Kevin Poulin, who finished with 29 saves.
“When our goaltenders play well, we give ourselves a chance,” Capuano said. “[Injured goalie Evgeni] Nabokov was playing well and the last few games Kevin has played well for us too.”
Okposo scored in the second, and tied it at 15:44 of the third with a drive from the top of the right faceoff circle.
“We knew we could turn it around,” Okposo said. “I thought still in the second period we came out a little bit slow but started to tilt the ice.”
For the winning goal, Tavares got a cross-ice pass from Calvin de Haan and beat Dan Ellis from the right faceoff circle for his 21st goal of the season, including four against the Stars. Ellis scrambled to get back across the goal, and tried in vain to glove the puck before it went into the short side of the net.
“It’s just great awareness by Cal and Thomas, two great plays really to set it up,” Tavares said. “I had the easy part, to put it in. Just kind of go to the net hard, find some open space and happy the puck came to me.”