Detroit Red Wings vs New York Islanders Box Score on Feb 21, 2020

Jordan Eberle scored three goals Friday night for the host New York Islanders, who snapped a four-game losing streak with a 4-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings in Uniondale, N.Y.

The Islanders, who were outscored 11-2 over a four-game Western Conference road trip that ended Wednesday, moved into sole possession of the Eastern Conference's first wild card, one point ahead of the idle Columbus Blue Jackets.

Leo Komarov scored an empty-netter in the final seconds for the Islanders. Goalie Semyon Varlamov carried a shutout deep into the third period and made 21 saves.

Anthony Mantha scored with 2:35 left in the third for the Red Wings, who have the fewest points in the NHL and have lost four of five. Goalie Jonathan Bernier recorded 36 saves.

Eberle's hat trick was his first since he scored three times for the Edmonton Oilers against the Vancouver Canucks on April 9, 2017. Both of Eberle's two-goal games this season have come against the Red Wings, versus whom he also scored twice on Dec. 2.

The Islanders outshot the Red Wings 13-2 in the first period and took the lead at the 5:45 mark, when Ryan Pulock's slap shot glanced off Eberle as he darted in front of Red Wings defenseman Patrik Nemeth and fluttered into the net.

New York doubled its lead late in the second period following an end-to-end rush capped by Eberle, who took a cross-ice pass from Mathew Barzal and fired a shot that sailed over the stick arm of Bernier with 2:58 left.

Bernier was pulled with more than three minutes left and the Red Wings finally got on the board when Mantha scored following a faceoff win by Detroit deep in the New York zone. But Eberle put home a rebound of an Andy Greene shot to complete the hat trick with less than 37 seconds left and Komarov capped the scoring with an empty-netter with 6.2 seconds left.

The Islanders retired John Tonelli's number 27 before the game. Tonelli scored 206 goals in eight seasons and was a core member of the dynasty that won four straight Stanley Cups from 1980-83.

The current Islanders all wore Tonelli 27 jerseys as they sat on the bench for the ceremony. New York actually still has a player wearing No. 27 -- captain Anders Lee, who has sported the number since he entered the NHL and who will continue to do so for the remainder of his time with the franchise.

--Field Level Media