UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- Scottie Upshall and the Florida Panthers have had little to celebrate this season. But four unanswered goals to secure a 5-3 win over the New York Islanders was reason enough to savour the moment. Upshall scored twice in the third period as part of the four-goal outburst as the Panthers snapped a four-game losing streak and sent the Islanders to yet another discouraging loss Sunday. Upshalls 11th of the season broke a 3-3 tie at 10:31 of the final period. The goal came on the rebound of shot by Shawn Mattias, who also scored two goals for the Panthers. Upshall tapped the loose puck past backup goaltender Anders Nilsson, who started in place of Evgeni Nabokov. He scored again at 15:26 on the power play to make it 5-3. Tim Thomas made 35 saves for the Panthers (23-31-7). "We came out determined in the third," said the 30-year-old Upshall, a first-round pick by Nashville in 2002 who almost completed a natural hat trick with two minutes left. "We needed a spark and we found it. And we played with an edge." The Islanders entered the third with a 3-1 advantage after Thomas Vanek scored twice in the first and Ryan Strome added a goal late in the second. But Floridas Marcel Goc and Matthias scored early in the third to tie the game at 3 before Upshalls late scores. Vanek opened the scoring at 6:41 with his 20th of the season and added his 21st on the power play at 7:39. The goals were his first since Jan. 25. Vanek was a major acquisition by the Islanders from Buffalo on Oct. 27 and has 17 goals in 47 games for New York. The Austrian left wing said he wants to test free agency this summer. Thus, the Islanders might try to trade him before Wednesdays deadline while they can still garner assets in return. The Islanders lost for the ninth time in 11 games. And it was the 12th time in their disappointing season in which they surrendered a two-goal lead, winning only two of those contests. "We seem to find ways to lose," said Andrew MacDonald, also a pending free agent who could be traded. "Its tough to see games slip away. When you get the lead, you should be able to hold it, most of the time. Its discouraging." MacDonald also addressed the idea he could be leaving the only NHL organization he has known. "I thought about it today, it weighs on your mind," the 27-year-old defenceman said. "You try not to let it get to you." After Matthias scored for Florida to make it 2-1 at 18:15 of the second, Strome restored the two-goal margin for the Islanders 59 seconds later with his second of the season. Gocs 11th of the season at 3:16 of the third came on a 40-foot floater from just inside the left point to make it 3-2 early in the third. Matthias scored his second of the game and ninth of the season at 4:18. The afternoon matchup was chippy from the start. Rival tough guys Krys Barch of the Panthers and the Islanders Eric Boulton squared off 2:25 into the game. Eight seconds later, a skirmish ensued between Brian Strait of the Islanders and Jonathan Huberdeau of Florida. "We didnt quit, we stayed involved," added Matthias. "We played a real gritty game and were glad to get the two points." The Islanders beat Toronto in overtime last Thursday in their first game back following the Olympic break. But they were drubbed 6-1 on Saturday by the New Jersey Devils as Jaromir Jagr scored his 700th career goal. The Islanders played without defenceman Travis Hamonic, suspended one game for instigating a fight near the end of Saturdays loss. NOTES: The Islanders activated forward Frans Nielsen before the game and sent Mike Halmo to AHL Bridgeport. Nielsen, who has 18 goals, suffered a broken hand when he was slashed against Colorado on Feb. 8. ... The Islanders (23-32-8) head out for a four-game Canadian road trip -- Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver before returning home to face San Jose on March 14. ... The Panthers have played 30 one-goal games this season, with a 12-11-7 mark. ... Florida was without forwards Alex Barkov (knee) and Tomas Kopecky (upper body) while the Islanders also missed forward Matt Martin (lower body). ... Florida scratched captain Ed Jovanovski and forward Scott Gomez. Wholesale Coyotes Jerseys . As future stars prepare to make the big leap to the professional ranks, TSNs Draft Week delivers wall-to-wall coverage of both the NHL and NBA Entry Drafts, highlighted by exclusive live coverage of both events. Cheap Adidas NHL Jerseys . Cesar said the difficulties he went through after the 2010 World Cup helped him become "a better professional" and made him "more focused" on his career. He admitted that he took things for granted before the World Cup in South Africa, when he arrived considered the worlds top goalkeeper. http://www.cheapcoyotesjerseys.com/ . Make that, almost always subjective. Saturday at Carrow Road, the spirit of fair play trumped the rulebook, costing Norwich City three points. Cheap Coyotes Jerseys . His Chicago Blackhawks teammates werent shocked when he found it. Kanes career has been defined by his brilliance in the Blackhawks biggest moments, and his tiebreaking goal with 3:45 to play in Game 6 of the Western Conference finals will rank among the best. Cheap Adidas Coyotes Jerseys .C. -- Duke sophomore Rodney Hood is entering the NBA draft. CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- This was more like the Kobe Bryant the Los Angeles Lakers are accustomed to seeing. Bryant, who is recovering from a torn Achilles tendon and still learning to trust his legs, was back to making big shots down the stretch and helping his team win Saturday night -- although in a somewhat tentative manner. "I dont know what I can and cant do," Bryant said. "Im just trying to measure it. I didnt know if I could drive to the basket. Every game has been like that." Bryant took a big step in the right direction, scoring a season-high 21 points to help the Lakers defeat the Charlotte Bobcats 88-85 for their first win since Bryant returned four games ago. Bryant was 8 of 15 from the field and hit two free throws with 37 seconds left in the game to put the Lakers ahead for good. Pau Gasol and Jordan Hill had 15 points apiece for the Lakers and Nick Young had 13 points off the bench. Kemba Walker had 24 points and eight assists for the slumping Bobcats, who have lost three straight and five of their last seven. "I knew it was coming eventually, its not a big deal," Bryant said of getting his first win of the season. "We know its a marathon not a sprint. We have to do the right things game in, game out. Some games youre going to lose." Bryant averaged 11 points in his first three games. He eclipsed that by halftime. Bryant showed his touch when he banked in a 15-footer over Gerald Henderson and his range when he stepped out to knock down a 3-pointer from 26 feet. But there were some struggles as well. Bryant committed seven turnovers and air-balled a 3-pointer. But he did enough to help the Lakers win. "I think he improved a little bit," Lakers coach Mike DAntoni said. "I think he got his legs under his shot a little bit and that looked better. He got tired. He got tired toward the end and it was his first back-to-back. Theres a lot of things that he has to work through. "We have to somehow find some wins and gut it out. Its not pretty right now. We dont have a playmaker and weve got to get guys healthy and get Kobe well." The Lakers trailed most of the game, but cut the lead to 85-84 when Bryant drove the lane and scoored a left-handed layup with 1:22 remaining.dddddddddddd Al Jefferson and Walker would both miss on the other end and Bryant went to work looking to take the lead. He drew a foul on a jump shot with 37 seconds left and hit both free throws with some of the crowd chanting "M-V-P" while others booed. Henderson missed a jumper for Charlotte, but Jefferson corralled the rebound and the Bobcats took a timeout to set up the last shot. Jefferson backed down Pau Gasol but couldnt convert a baby hook and the Gasol grabbed the rebound and was fouled. Gasol hit both free throws to push the lead to three with 6.2 seconds left. Ben Gordons 3-pointer fell short as time expired. "It was one of those games that came down to the last play at the end, but we have to try to do a better job of taking care of some of the minor mistakes we made earlier in the game so it doesnt come down to the last second," Gordon said. The Bobcats (10-14) came into the week looking to improve their spot in the playoff picture in the East, but dropped all three games. Coach Steve Clifford, who worked as an assistant last year with the Lakers, said having a player like Bryant to go to in the fourth quarter -- even if not completely healthy -- is just a huge advantage. "When it comes down fourth quarter in this league if you have a perimeter player who can draw help and a second defender, its a huge advantage," Clifford said. "Were going to have to be really good at getting the ball to Al in spots. Again, its not easy. The easier thing is to have Kobe. "You can just him the ball and he just makes plays. But thats all right, that is the way our team is made and we have to learn how to do that. But it is more difficult? Its infinitely more difficult, yes it is." The highlight of the game came in the third quarter when Josh McRoberts cut down the lane, took a pass from Walker and skied over Pau Gasol for a one-handed slam dunk that brought the crowd to its feet. NOTES: Welterweight boxing champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. was courtside. ... Henderson has scored in double figures in 22 games this season, including 15 straight. ... The Lakers have won five straight against the Bobcats. 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