SUNRISE, Fla. A.J. Green Jersey . -- The New York Islanders played loose. The Florida Panthers tightened up. Frans Nielsen scored the only goal in the shootout and the Islanders beat the Panthers 3-2 on Sunday night. Kyle Okposo and Matt Moulson scored in regulation, and Evgeni Nabokov stopped 33 shots. Nielsen scored in the first round, while all three Panthers shooters missed against Nabokov. "I just tried to fake a shot a little bit and go to my backhand," Nielsen said. "I think he read me pretty good, but I was lucky to get it up and hit the post and the crossbar and went in. I was a little lucky, but Ill take it." Tomas Fleischmann and Stephen Weiss scored for Florida, and Jose Theodore made 35 saves. The Islanders missed a chance to win with about a minute left in overtime. Michael Grabner had an open net but his shot hit the stick of Floridas Ed Jovanovski. The Islanders won for just the third time in nine games. "You still want to win hockey games and play hard, keep building," Nielsen said. "We cant just lay down and die. We have to keep playing." Florida is three points ahead of Washington for the Southeast Division lead. Washington beat Minnesota 3-0 on Sunday. They picked up a point in each of the past two losses because the games went to overtime. "Obviously, you want to win every home game but it was tough playing against loose teams like Edmonton and the Islanders are," Fleischmann said. "Its the end of the season and we are a kind of a tight group right now. Washington is coming after us for the playoffs. Its a fight right now." The Panthers have lost three straight after a five-game winning streak and are 5-10 in shootouts this season. "Unfortunately for us, the shootout has been a little bit of a stickler for us this year," Panthers coach Kevin Dineen said. "Right now, when things dont always fall on our side, theres a little tightness when it comes to the shootout." The Islanders trailed twice in the game before they came back to win it. "Our game plan doesnt change and thats the way we have to continue to play," Islanders coach Jack Capuano said. "I thought we did a good job of tracking and in all areas. They played well enough to win, too. Our goalie made some big saves in key times." The Islanders tied it 2 at 12:22 of the third when Okposo scored while attempting to pass the puck. His pass from the top of the right circle was intended for Mark Streit, but it glanced off the stick of Floridas Dmitry Kulikov and into the net. Florida went ahead 2-1 on Fleischmanns goal at 9:51 of the third. Streit attempted to bring the puck out from behind his own net but it hit the back of an Islanders player along the boards above the right circle. Fleischmann grabbed the loose puck and his shot from the right circle got past Nabokov. Fleischmann leads the Panthers with 56 points. The Islanders tied it at 1 on Moulsons power-play goal late in the second. John Tavares passed the puck from the bottom of the left circle back to Moulson in the slot. He fired the puck past Theodore at 18:57, his team-leading 34th goal of the season. The Panthers opened the scoring on Weiss goal in the first, his 19th of the season. Tomas Fleischmann passed the puck from behind the Islanders net to Weiss in front. His slap shot beat Nabokov at 5:55. Notes: Islanders forward Moulson has 14 points in his past 14 games. ... Islanders C Tavares has 12 points in his past eight games. ... The Panthers wore their alternate two-toned blue jerseys for the last time Sunday. Clint Boling Jersey . Wedge will manage the final three games of this season against Oakland before the Mariners begin a search for a new manager. "Its got to the point where its painfully obvious to me that I just wasnt going to be able to move forward with this organization," Wedge said before Fridays game. Robert Geathers Jersey . Maxime Presseaults goal at 13:59 of the second period broke a 2-2 deadlock for the Foreurs, who trailed the series 3-2 before winning back-to-back games, and Guillaume Gelinas and Pierre-Maxime Poudrier also scored.CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- NASCAR will require baseline concussion testing for its drivers starting next season. NASCAR had only recommended the testing this season, but indicated to drivers that a preseason baseline screening could become mandatory as early as 2014. The baseline test will be compared with test results taken after a driver has crashed to help diagnose a concussion. "NASCAR made this decision because we think it is important to drivers health for doctors to have the best information and tools available in evaluating injuries," said Steve ODonnell, NASCAR vice-president of racing operations. Drivers were informed of the mandate during a Thursday meeting at the R&D Center in Concord with top NASCAR officials that lasted nearly two hours and covered a variety of topics concerning 2014 changes. The baseline testing will be performed through the widely used neurocognitive assessment ImPACT test, which evaluates an athletes verbal and visual memory, processing speed and reaction time. "Before announcing this rule, we provided drivers concussion and baseline testing education and created opportunities for them to ask any questions they may have to a top neurosurgeon that specializes in traumatic brain injuries," ODonnell said. "ImPACT tests are not new to our sport and have been used for treatment through the years." ODonnell said in February that NASCAR had identified 32 concussions in its top three national series since 2004, including three in 2012. One suffered by Dale Earnhardt Jr. forced NASCAR concussions into the spotlight. Earnhardt was injured in a crash during an August 2012 tire test at Kansas, but didnt seek treatment for a mild concussion. Cedric Peerman. His stubborn streak instead kept him behind the wheel, and he was then part of a 25-car pileup in October at Talladega that triggered lingering headaches and other recognizable warning signs. Earnhardt went to a doctor, and he was ultimately benched for two races. Earnhardts plight led four-time series champion Jeff Gordon to voluntarily take the ImPACT test, which has long been mandatory in the IndyCar Series. "I just think whether its voluntary or not, its a good idea to have," Gordon said in February. "I dont think that NASCAR necessarily has to make it mandatory, but if youre a race car driver, and you feel youre going to be here for a while, you need to make it mandatory to yourself." Drivers this year were invited to two concussion education sessions featuring Dr. Vinay Deshmukh of Carolina Neurosurgery & Spine Associates, a member of NASCARs medical advisory group. Drivers were presented with an overview of what concussions are, their causes, treatment and the role that baseline tests play in the comprehensive evaluation of concussions. "We are extremely confident that our concussion protocol is among the best in sports," ODonnell said. "We regularly review all of our practices involving safety and health to see if there is anything that we can do better, or should do differently moving forward. Implementing baseline testing is a primary example of our philosophy to protect our competitors the best that we can." ' ' '
