NEW YORK -- New York Islanders coach Jack Capuano asked for more than just offence from his top line when they took on the rival

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NEW YORK -- New York Islanders coach Jack Capuano asked for more than just offence from his top line when they took on the rival New York Rangers. Adil Rami Jersey . John Tavares, Thomas Vanek and Kyle Okposo were also being counted on to slow down sizzling Rangers forward Rick Nash. That plan didnt go so well early. Nash scored twice in the first period, but the Islanders erased a two-goal deficit for the second straight day and beat the Rangers 5-3 on Tuesday night. "There was a time during the first period that I was going to probably break that line up," Capuano said, "but I wanted to see how they handled it. I thought they responded as the game went on and did a good job." Nash didnt do any more damage, Vanek scored the tiebreaking power-play goal with 4:38 left, Tavares had three assists, and Okposo added two as the Islanders won for the ninth time in 11 road games. The Islanders have won two of the first three meetings with the Rangers. The teams will play twice more in the next 10 days, including outdoors at Yankee Stadium. "Division games are huge this time of year. Its nice to beat these guys," Tavares said. "They got those two early goals, but I think for the most part we were the better team. We did a good job ... and finished off the game. Big win. Character win." Vanek capped the comeback as the Rangers were trying to kill a penalty for too many men. Colin McDonald and defenceman Thomas Hickey scored in the second period to get the Islanders even. Matt Martin scored a rare goal in the first, and Frans Nielsen added an empty-netter. Kevin Poulin made 30 saves in front of a nearly full crowd on a snowy night in New York. "The secondary guys came up big," Capuano said. "Our top line struggled a little bit in the first, but they came around. Your best players have got to be your best players. We were fortunate with that break with the too many men, but we were able to capitalize." Nash posted his second straight multigoal game, and Chris Kreider added a goal for the Rangers, who had won three in a row. Cam Talbot made 32 saves while subbing for Henrik Lundqvist, who missed the game due to illness. It was the first time in eight games the Rangers allowed more than two goals. "We wanted the two points, and we put ourselves in a good position to get them," Nash said. "We didnt get the job done." The Rangers pressed hard in the final minute after Talbot was pulled for an extra skater, but couldnt tie it. Unlike Monday in a 4-3 shootout win at home over Philadelphia, the Islanders didnt wait until the third period to tie it. "It was a good win," Capuano said, "but weve got a stretch coming up where weve got to make sure that were focused and were committed and doing the right things." After Kreider restored the Rangers two-goal lead at 9:34 of the second with a power-play goal, Hickey began the comeback with his fourth of the season off a perfect feed from Okposo with 6:38 left in the period. Just 3:14 later, McDonald got to a rebound off a hard shot by Tavares and fired a drive that beat Talbot for his fourth of the season to tie it. "Youre up 3-1 and you think maybe you can get through the period and play a good solid third, but we didnt," forward Brad Richards said. "We made some mistakes. Some nights other teams will capitalize, and some nights you get away with it. We didnt get away with it." For the second straight game, Nash struck quickly and gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead. Nash took a pass from behind the net from Kreider and wristed a shot past Poulin at 1:02 -- 8 seconds faster than Sunday when he put New York in front against Washington. The Islanders put lots of pressure on the Rangers in their end, but couldnt get a shot past Talbot. When Okposo failed to cleanly handle a pass near the right circle, Rangers defenceman Dan Girardi spotted Nash alone at centre ice and sent a pass to him. Nash received the puck with his back to the Islanders net, and quickly turned up ice and came in on a breakaway. Nash shifted the puck several times on his stick before sliding a shot in at 11:07 for his 16th of the season, fifth in three games, and ninth in nine games. The Islanders got one back with 2:38 left in the first when Martin took a pass in the slot from Tavares and scored his third of the season. NOTES: Martin went 38 games without a goal, dating to Nov. 1 at Ottawa. Hickey netted his first in 12 games, dating to Dec. 29 at Minnesota. ... Nash netted the winning goal in the previous four games in which he scored. ... The Rangers signed G David Leneveu to back up Talbot. Thomas Lemar France Jersey . The Tinkoff-Saxo rider was still dealing with the right shin he broke in a crash which ended his Tour de France on Stage 10. He hoped to defy his doctors and race in the home Grand Tour he won in 2008 and 2012, but he says there have been complications in his recovery. Lucas Hernandez France Jersey . The 27th-ranked Austrian underwent surgery on a torn tendon in October and needs more time to recover, the Austria Press Agency reports on Saturday. http://www.nationalfrancesoccer.com/steve-mandanda-france-jersey/ . Billy Hamilton finished off Cincinnatis biggest comeback of the season for a doubleheader sweep. CLEVELAND -- John Axford had other choices where he could pitch next season. The Indians closed the deal. Axford, who had 46 saves for Milwaukee in 2011 but lost his closers job last season and was traded to St. Louis, finalized a $4.5 million, one-year contract Thursday and will close for Cleveland in 2014. The 30-year-old Axford had other teams interested in signing him, but he decided to join the Indians because of their turnaround in 2013, a strong clubhouse and manager Terry Francona, who sold Axford with his typical straightforward approach. "He was very, very up front with me about the team, the organization, the city," Axford said. "It just sounded to me like a situation I want to be a part of." Axford replaces two-time All-Star closer Chris Perez, who was released in October after Cleveland made its first playoff appearance since 2007. Axford agreed to the contract with Cleveland earlier this week, and completed the deal after taking a physical on Wednesday. The right-hander can earn another $1.75 million in performance bonuses based on games finished: $250,000 for 38 and $300,000 apiece for 43, 48, 53, 58 and 63. The Indians initially considered filling the closers role within the organization -- right-handers Bryan Shaw and Cody Allen were the top candidates -- and pursued several veteran free agents before working out a deal with Axford. The Indians werent scared off despite Axford struggles last season, when he started horribly and was demoted by the Brewers before eventually being traded to St. Louis in August. "We thought he was the right guy to take a chance on," Indians general manager Chris Antonetti saaid. Blank France Jerseys. "We feel like we added an experienced, power arm to the back of our bullpen." Antonetti said the team wasnt reluctant to give the job to Shaw or Allen, its just that Axford was a better option and the club feels he can "bounce back" and be an elite stopper again. Axford attributed some of his early problems last season to pitching in the World Baseball Classic. He was throwing hard from the get-go and went through a "dead arm" period when his velocity dropped following the WBC. But after making some adjustments, Axford settled in and posted a 2.92 ERA in his final 71 appearances with the Brewers and Cardinals. "I dont like to make excuses," Axford said. "I really enjoyed pitching for my country, but I really dont think my arm was ever ready for the start of the regular season. I had a dead arm and my velocity was down in those first few games of the regular season. But when you give up four home runs and have an ERA of 22 after four games, you cant be surprised that youre not the closer anymore." Axford has a 22-19 career record with a 3.29 ERA and 106 saves in 281 relief appearances. He said being a free agent "was fun, but it was difficult." Ultimately, he thought the Indians were the best fit for him because they provided a chance to close again and Cleveland is just a 4 1-2 hour drive from his home in Ontario. It also helped the Indians are on the rise after earning a wild-card spot in 2013. "There were certainly other teams in the mix," Axford said. "They had a great season last year. It seemed like a team I would want to pitch for." Youth NFL Jerseys Cheap Stitched Jerseys China Womens NFL Jerseys Wholesale Authentic Jerseys Wholesale Stitched Jerseys Wholesale Nike NFL Jerseys Wholesale NFL Womens Jerseys ' ' '