NHL ROUNDUP : Islanders Win, but They Still Confuse Arbour

Coach Al Arbour can’t figure out his young New York Islanders.

They played terribly for six weeks. Then, two weeks ago, they turned it around. They started playing tough defense and went unbeaten in five games (4-0-1).

Arbour was about ready to acknowledge that the Islanders had the makings of a decent hockey team. Then came two miserable losses to the New Jersey Devils.

The Islanders went into Landover, Md., Friday night, built a 2-0 lead, squandered it, then pulled out a 5-3 victory.

“I can’t explain it,” Arbour said after Hubie McDonough scored the tiebreaking goal with 3:42 left. “When these guys go out and play, they are a pretty good hockey team. But I can’t tell until they get out on the ice what kind of a game they will play.

“Obviously, tonight they were ready to play. We beat a solid team.”

Mark Fitzpatrick was the goaltender when the Islanders went on their streak, and he turned in a couple of shutouts. But he played poorly against the Capitals, and Glenn Healy, like Fitzpatrick a former King, replaced him and stopped 34 shots, 16 of them in the second period.

The Capitals fell to 4-7-2 at home. In an attempt to change their luck at home, the Capitals wore their road uniforms. It didn’t work.

Detroit 8, Chicago 4--Slowly, the Red Wings seem to be starting to play well.

Steve Yzerman had three goals and Gerard Gallant had two at Detroit as the Red Wings ended the Blackhawks’ four-game winning streak.

The Red Wings are 4-1-2 in their last seven games but are still last in the Norris Division. They won the division last season, but won only six of their first 25 games this season.

Yzerman, who had 65 goals last season, now has 21.

Vancouver 3, Winnipeg 3--The Jets’ Thomas Steen scored his second goal of the game during a third-period power play and the Jets held on for a tie at Vancouver.

Steen’s goal at 12:58 of the third period was scored while Vancouver’s Garth Butcher was in the penalty box for holding.

It was the second 3-3 tie in three nights between the Smythe Division rivals. The fourth-place Jets lead Vancouver by five points in the standings.

Dale Hawerchuk scored the other goal as the Jets extended their unbeaten string to five games (2-0-3). Vancouver is 1-0-2 in its last three games.

The goaltending of Vancouver’s Kirk McLean and Winnipeg’s Daniel Berthiaume was solid throughout.

Greg Adams of the Canucks had two goals and assisted on Tony Tanti’s goal.