Karlsson helps Senators pound Islanders 6-0
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Erik Karlsson and Jason Spezza each scored twice, Craig Anderson made 28 saves and the Ottawa Senators beat the New York Islanders 6-0 on Monday for their third straight win.
The Senators (31-22-8) moved within two points of first-place Boston in the Northeast Division and one point behind Pittsburgh and Philadelphia for fifth place in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
Karlsson opening the scoring 1:08 into the first period with his 11th of the season on a sharp-angle shot from the corner to the left of Islanders goaltender Kevin Poulin. Spezza, who has seven goals and eight assists in his last six games, made it 2-0 just 27 seconds later.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Islanders coach Jack Capuano then yanked Poulin for Al Montoya but Ottawa kept pouring it on.
Karlsson made it 3-0 at 14:03 of the first with a low shot from the slot. It was the fourth career two-game game for the 21-year-old Karlsson, Ottawa's first-round draft pick in 2008.
Chris Phillips added a power-play goal at 9:37 of the second and Brian Lee became the third Senators defenseman to score with his first of the season at 9:49 of the third. Spezza completed the scoring at 10:57 with a power-play score for his team-leading 27th goal of the season.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Karlsson also had assists on the final two goals. The Swedish defenseman leads the Senators with 45 assists.
It was the third shutout of the season for Anderson (28-19-6), who joined Ottawa in a trade with Colorado a year ago. The 30-year-old Anderson also moved into a tie with Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers for fourth place in goalie wins this season.
Ottawa improved to 16-11-5 on the road with its fourth win in five games overall after a seven-game losing streak. It was the Senators' most lopsided win of the season.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Ottawa also won 4-0 at Tampa Bay last Tuesday and 6-2 at Florida on Thursday.
The inconsistent Islanders (25-26-8) squandered their fourth chance in their last six games to move above the .500 mark for the first time since October.
New York remained six points behind Toronto for the conference's eighth and final playoff spot.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Islanders, who also lost 6-0 at home against Boston on Nov. 19, were seeking consecutive victories for the first time since winning 2-1 in overtime at Ottawa on Feb. 3. They defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 4-3 at home on Saturday.
The Islanders are 9-5-2 in their last 16 games and 14-9-2 in their last 25 contests, climbing back into the playoff race. They haven't reached the postseason since 2007.
New York is at Buffalo on Tuesday while the Senators return home to play the Washington Capitals on Wednesday.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}NOTES: The Senators have won all nine games in 2012 in which Spezza has scored. . The Islanders had won three straight over the Senators. . The Islanders are 19-40-14 all-time against the Senators. . Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson played his 1,111th NHL game and added his franchise-best 658th assist. . Matt Moulson extended his games-played streak to 223. He hasn't missed a game in his Islanders career.