Sports

Islanders fall to Red Wings, 6-3, pushing losing streak to six

DETROIT (AP) — Dylan Larkin had two goals after an eight-game absence, Andrew Copp also scored twice to break a 20-game drought and the Detroit Red Wings beat the slumping New York Islanders 6-3 on Thursday night.

Larkin returned from a lower-body injury to score his team-high 27th and 28th goals to help Detroit avenge a 5-3 home loss to the Islanders on Feb. 29.

Christian Fischer had a goal and two assists, Patrick Kane also scored and Michael Rasmussen and Alex DeBrincat added two assists apiece. James Reimer made 33 saves in a matchup of teams battling for a wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.

Mike Reilly, Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Mathew Barzal scored for New York, and Ilya Sorokin made 18 saves. The Islanders are 0-5-1 in their last six.

Fischer opened the scoring on a breakaway with 8:45 left in the second period. Reilly tied it with 6:35 left in the period with a shot from just inside the blue line that trickled between Reimer’s legs.

After killing off Rasmussen’s penalty, the Red Wings regained the lead with four minutes left in the second when Copp shoveled in a rebound of Fischer’s shot for his first goal since Jan. 27.

With 1:52 left in the period, Larkin gave Detroit a 3-1 advantage on a one-timer off DeBrincat’s feed. Copp added his second at 5:12 of the third, and Kane made it 5-1 at 6:22 with his 16th.

Pageau scored a power-play goal on a rebound midway through the period, and Barzal cut it to 5-3 with 8:40 to go. Larkin closed the scoring with an empty-netter.

UP NEXT

Islanders: Host Winnipeg on Saturday.

Red Wings: At Nashville on Saturday.