MONTREAL — Petteri Nokelainen scored with 6:15 remaining as the Montreal Canadiens recovered after giving up a two-goal lead in the third period, beating the New York Islanders 5-3 Tuesday night.
Nokelainen drove a slap shot past Al Montoya from the right point for the tiebreaking goal moments after Montreal squandered a 3-1 advantage. Hal Gill added an empty-netter in the final minute for his first goal of the season.
Andrei Kostitsyn and Mathieu Darche gave the Canadiens a 2-1 lead in the first period. Erik Cole extended the margin to two goals 31 seconds into the third when he scored on a power play.
Carey Price made 29 saves for the Canadiens, who won for just the fifth time in 13 home games to end a four-game skid at the Bell Centre (0-1-3).
Matt Moulson scored in the first period for the Islanders and they tied it in the third on goals by Josh Bailey and John Tavares.
Bailey drew the Islanders to 3-2 when he beat Carey Price with a back hand at 5:18. Tavares pushed home a loose puck in the crease with about 8 1/2 minutes left for his 10th goal.
Moulson gave New York a 1-0 lead with his team-leading 15th goal 7:50 into the game. Al Montoya stopped 24 shots for New York, which has lost three straight (0-2-1).
Newly-acquired defenseman Tomas Kaberle got his third point in two games with Montreal with an assist on Kostitsyn’s goal, which tied the score 1-1 at 9:15 of the first.
Darche put the Canadiens ahead at 13:28 when he beat Montoya with a long slap shot from above the right faceoff circle.
Cole made it 3-1 when he blasted David Desharnais’ pass between the Islanders goalie’s pads from the goalmouth.
Former Islanders defenseman Chris Campoli returned to the Canadiens’ lineup for the first time since Montreal’s first game of the season.
Montreal’s Travis Moen left the game after he was struck on the foot by a shot in the first. He did not return.
NOTES: The Islanders were without RW Nino Niederreiter, who suffered a concussion Saturday on a hit by Dallas’ Mark Fistric. Though no penalty was called on the play, Fistric was suspended for three games by NHL disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan for leaving his feet to deliver his check. … Canadiens D Alexei Emelin was left out of the lineup for the first time in 15 games.