Uniondale, NY (Sports Network) - Freddy Meyer netted the go-ahead goal midway through the third period as the New York Islanders scored three unanswered goals and defeated the San Jose Sharks, 3-2, at Nassau Coliseum.

Rick DiPietro was stellar, stopping 28-of-30 shots for the Islanders, who have won four straight after dropping the previous seven contests.

Andy Hilbert added a goal and an assist, while Mike Comrie tallied in the win. Bill Guerin donated two helpers.

"We didn't have a great first 40 minutes, but today we stuck to the game plan," Comrie said. "We came back with a good 20 minutes and got the win."

Marcel Goc and Joe Thornton accounted for the San Jose goals. The Sharks have lost four in a row and five of their last seven.

Evgeni Nabokov made 17 saves in defeat, but had to leave the game midway through the second period with a laceration of the nose and mouth. He did return for the third stanza. Thomas Greiss played 9:36 of the second and turned aside one shot.

"I had no idea where the puck went after I got hit," Nabokov said. "It was so painful, I went right down. I saw the shot all the way, but when you're on your knees, there's no way you can react. I went back to the dressing room, and I didn't have a concussion or anything."

With the Sharks clinging to a 1-0 lead after two periods of play, San Jose tallied at 2:14 of the third. Milan Michalek's backhander from the right circle deflected off an Islander defenders' skate and Thornton, crashing the net, chipped it by DiPietro to make it a 2-0 affair.

Hilbert's marker just over a minute later, off a goal mouth scramble, cut New York's deficit to one.

Comrie's effort at 4:21 knotted the game. The diminutive center took a pass from Guerin at center ice, skated into the Sharks' zone, then made an inside-out move around Kyle McLaren and wristed a shot through DiPietro's five hole to even things at 2-2.

Meyer put the home team ahead 3-2 with 8:41 left in the third stanza. Sean Bergenheim dished to the Islanders speedy defenseman, who skated down the right side and took a wrister from the top of the circle that handcuffed the San Jose netminder on the stick side.

"I just did what I could to put it on net," Meyer said. "I threw it at the net and luckily it went in."

The Isles had a golden opportunity to add to their lead when Doug Murray hammered Blake Comeau head first into the boards near center ice and was assessed a five-minute major for boarding and game misconduct, but New York was unable to capitalize.

San Jose put on the offensive pressure late in the contest and after a mad scramble in front of the Islanders net, Thornton's wrist shot hit the post with 16 seconds left. New York defenseman Andy Sutton suffered an apparent lower body injury in the foray and was helped to the locker room. The Sharks then called a time out with seven ticks remaining, but the Islanders gained control of the puck off the defensive zone faceoff and fired it out of the zone to end the game.

"Three mistakes cost us, and that was the game," Thornton said. "I thought we played pretty good for 50 minutes. We had that chance to tie right at the end. He made a great save, and then we hit the post. Guys need to realize that the playoff push started. Every team is good, and we have to go into each game thinking that way."

In a penalty-filled first frame that featured seven minor penalties that gave each team a five-on-three power play, neither squad could light the lamp and the game remained scoreless after one.

San Jose notched the first goal of the contest 2:19 into the second frame while skating at even strength. Goc controlled the puck from behind the Islanders goal, skated out front and fired a wrist shot from the low right circle that got by DiPietro on the glove side, giving the Sharks the advantage.