Islanders Have the Star Power

The New York Islanders had already opened the eyes of the league.

On Sunday, they impressed their coach.

Michael Peca scored on a breakaway at 3:25 of overtime to give the New York Islanders a 3-2 win over the Dallas Stars at Uniondale, N.Y.

The Islanders are 2-0-1-1 in their four home games--all going to overtime--and are 6-0 on the road.

“It was an inspirational game,” Islander Coach Peter Laviolette said.

Peca’s goal came after Kenny Jonsson fought for the puck along the boards before passing ahead to Peca.

“It’s a good feeling for me to see them going out there to compete like crazy,” Laviolette said. “They have this desire to win.”

The Islanders tied it, 2-2, on a power play when Alexei Yashin poked the puck barely over the goal line at 13:50 of the second period. Mark Parrish, lying on the ice next to the goal, had swung his stick around to sweep the puck in front of the net for Yashin.

Boston 3, Chicago 3--Joe Thornton and Bill Guerin scored in the last 18 seconds of regulation to lift the Bruins into a tie with the Blackhawks at Chicago.

Thornton wristed a shot past Jocelyn Thibault with one second to play to send the game into overtime. Guerin pulled Boston within one with a power-play goal 17 seconds earlier.

The Blackhawks extended their unbeaten streak to seven games and improved to 4-0-2 at home, their best start since 1994-95.

Florida 2, Pittsburgh 2--Milan Kraft scored in the last minute of regulation for the host Penguins.

Martin Straka, Pittsburgh’s leading scorer, broke his right leg about seven minutes into the second period and is out indefinitely. The left wing, who has five goals and four assists, was injured when his leg caught in the ice as he was being knocked down by Lance Ward.