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Second-period barrage paces Leafs win over Islanders

The Toronto Maple Leafs scored four unanswered goals in less than nine minutes in the second period Tuesday night en route to beating the New York Islanders 5-2 at Nassau Coliseum.

UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- The Toronto Maple Leafs scored four unanswered goals in less than nine minutes in the second period Tuesday night en route to beating the New York Islanders 5-2 at Nassau Coliseum.

Center Phil Kessel opened and closed the second period outburst for the Leafs, who scored just four goals in their previous three games combined.

Defenseman Roman Polak scored the game-winner 11:11 into the second -- just 2:07 after Kessel tied it -- while right winger David Clarkson extended the lead to 4-2 at 16:21. Kessel scored his second goal 1:32 later.

It was the second time this season the Maple Leafs scored at least four goals in a period. Toronto scored five goals in the second period of a 6-3 win over the New York Rangers on Oct. 12.

Left winger James Van Riemsdyk scored in the first for the Maple Leafs (3-3-1), who snapped a two-game losing streak.

Goalie Jonathan Bernier made 34 saves for Toronto, including 17 in the third, when he turned back numerous point-blank shots during the Islanders' frantic comeback attempt.

Defenseman Nick Leddy and center John Tavares scored for the Islanders (4-2-0), who lost two straight following the third 4-0-0 start in franchise history.

Islanders goalie Jaroslav Halak was pulled after the nightmarish second period, which was the worst period for the Islanders since they gave up five second-period goals against Washington on Nov. 5, 2013.

Halak had 18 saves on 23 shots overall. Backup Chad Johnson made five saves in the third period.

The Islanders went ahead just 2:48 into the game when Leddy fired a shot over Bernier's left shoulder.

The Maple Leafs took advantage of an Islanders turnover deep in the New York zone to tie the game almost six minutes later. Islanders defenseman Thomas Hickey overran the puck in the right corner next to the net before he had his clearing pass intercepted by Kessel, who dished to Van Riemsdyk for the goal.

Tavares' goal five seconds into a power play put the Islanders back up with 4:58 left. The power play was created when Maple Leafs right winger Jeffrey Lupul was whistled for slashing.

The Islanders had several chances to extend the lead in the second before Kessel capped a coast-to-coast rush with a shot past Halak from the right faceoff circle.

Polak scored the go-ahead goal 23 seconds after a shot by defenseman Morgan Rielly skittered to the left of the goalmouth, where it was retrieved by center Daniel Winnik, who passed it to Polak.

Clarkson made it 4-2 when, seconds after a Toronto power play expired, he whirled and fired a shot that threaded its way through all six Islanders on the ice.

Another defensive breakdown by Hickey allowed the Maple Leafs to make it 5-2. Hickey jumped to try and knock down a clearing pass by Van Riemsdyk, but he missed and Kessel picked up the puck and beat Halak on the breakaway.

NOTES: Mark Hunter, who played for five NHL teams from 1981-92, was named the Maple Leafs' director of player personnel on Tuesday. Hunter spent the previous 12 years in a variety of management positions, including co-owner, with the London Knights of the OHL. ... The Maple Leafs scratched RW Carter Ashton and RW Matt Frattin. ... The Islanders scratched the healthy duo of LW Eric Boulton and D Matt Donovan, while C Mikhail Grabovski, who suffered an upper-body injury against the San Jose Sharks last Thursday, was also scratched. He skated Tuesday morning and is day-to-day.