Tavares has goal, 2 assists in Isles’ 4-2 win over Jets

Greiss, who signed with the Islanders during the offseason, made 22 saves in his second game with the club to guide New York to its first win at Barclays Center. Winnipeg averaged 13 minutes in the sin bin – more than half a period if you want to put it in hockey-time terms. There aren’t many reps to go off of, teams are still scouting each other out, and two bounces is all that stands between 0% and 20% (or 80% and 100%, for the PK). Tavares also was awarded a penalty shot when Toby Enstrom slashed Tavares on a breakaway with 2:15 to play, but Pavelec (40 saves) denied Tavares’ backhand after a dizzying array of moves.

Josh Bailey added an empty-net goal with 19 seconds left.

Tavares played the opening two games with his customary force, but linemates Anders Lee and Ryan Strome shrunk a bit from the challenge of facing the defending Stanley Cup champs in the openers both home and away. They know they already have to keep pace with the Rangers, who have won their first three games to get the early lead in the brutal Metropolitan Division. Hard to roll four lines, hard to get everyone involved if the team is short-handed for long stretches in the first period. “We just weren’t great”.

That’s just what Capuano got, even if it did take four fruitless opportunities to start the first.

“I like the way he played the puck”, coach Jack Capuano said.

Nelson got his first goal on a three-on-one 6:46 into the second, snapping a wrist shot low past Ondrej Pavelec. “For two periods, I don’t think we played our hockey”.

Neuvirth made 31 saves for his eighth career shutout – his first since March 11, 2012, with the Washington Capitals (23 SV vs. TOR) – and a win in his first start with the Flyers. Tavares has four points in three games this campaign. The questions of discipline were raised, answered with an insistence they were going to be smarter and a little more careful with their sticks moving forward.

“They’re a tough team to play, they have a lot of scorers”, Pavelec said. “It was obviously nice to get that going”.

Dustin Byfuglien later found the back of the net to cut it to one in the third but the Jets were left chasing the game against one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference, and eventually ran out of time.

This is a somewhat subjective topic and inexact science, but while in-game observations from reporters speculated about more bad ice, a few reports (Times here, Newsday there, Post yonder) had players and league officials saying the ice was better Monday than Friday. “He’s made a good impression on everyone and if he can play like that every night then we have a really good chance”.

The Islanders earned their first win at Barclays Center – in their second game – exactly 43 years after their first win at Nassau Coliseum. But the Islanders avoided falling back into a shell after the Byfuglien goal and had seven shots attempts over the final eight minutes, including Bailey’s game-sealing empty-netter.