This is supposed to be a new Islanders team, thanks to a slew of offseason acquisitions and money spent by the notoriously stingy organization.
For the most part during the early part of this season, the Islanders have looked the part and that continued on Saturday, when they won their second straight game, beating the Stars, 7-5, at Nassau Coliseum.
Though the Islanders (6-2) coughed up a two-goal lead and trailed late in the second, they were able to right themselves.
The comeback was capped by three Frans Nielsen goals in the third period as he notched his first career hat trick.
It was a solid victory over a Dallas team (4-2-2) that was coming off a win over the Devils in Newark on Friday night.
It also was another sign the Islanders have been able to shake off their two-game slide, following a 4-0 start.
“We know we’re a good team,” Nielsen said. “We wanted to make a statement here in the beginning, and I think we have so far. But we can’t get too confident. We have to keep working.”
Especially given what lies ahead of them over the next two weeks.
After another home game on Tuesday against Winnipeg, the Islanders head out on a five-game trip that includes stops at Colorado, San Jose, Los Angeles, Anaheim and Arizona. Then they return to the Coliseum for a game against the Avalanche before going to Florida to face the Panthers and Lightning.
“We’re going to be tested,” coach Jack Capuano said before the game.
That was the case Saturday.
The Islanders took a 3-1 lead when Brock Nelson put a rebound by Dallas goalie Anders Lindback 1:25 into the second period.
But the advantage was short-lived, as Chad Johnson surrendered three goals in the second to allow the Stars to grab a 4-3 lead.
When it seemed the Islanders were falling apart, Lubomir Visnovsky tied it again, ripping a shot by Lindback.
Then Nielsen took over. He scored on a feed from Nikolay Kulemin at 9:39 and then again off a pass from Mikhail Grabovski at 15:09. Nielsen finished the scoring with an empty-netter before time expired.
“I didn’t really celebrate,” Nielsen said. “I wasn’t sure if it counted.”
It did and ended a back-and-forth game. One Capuano admitted the Isles may have lost in the past.
“Last year, we outplayed teams and lost games,” Capuano said. “I give our team credit. We made some blunders with the puck, no question… But we’re focusing on winning games, no matter how we have to do it.”
Johnson, who made just his second start of the season Thursday in Boston, wasn’t as sharp Saturday. Nevertheless, he recovered from a shaky second period to deliver several key saves in the third.
“I want to be as strong as I can be regardless of the score,” Johnson said. “It was kind of a shootout there for a while. But I don’t think we want to be in games like that all the time.”
Josh Bailey was placed on injured reserve with a broken hand before the game. Capuano said Bailey would be reevaluated, and the team should have more information on Monday. He remained hopeful Bailey only would miss “a couple of weeks.”
Grabovski took his spot, returning from a concussion suffered on Oct. 16, when he was leveled by San Jose’s John Scott. … Travis Hamonic sat out again, and Capuano said he is still day-to-day with an upper body injury.