UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- The Ottawa Senators broke out of their slump in a big way.
Robin Lehner stopped 20 shots in his first NHL start as Ottawa snapped a six-game winless streak with a 6-4 victory over the New York Islanders on Thursday night.
Lehner was called up for the third time this season, and appeared twice earlier, both in relief roles.
Daniel Alfredsson, Jesse Winchester, Milan Michalek, Chris Kelly, Nick Foligno and Zack Smith scored for Ottawa, which was 0-4-2 before the victory.
Trevor Gillies scored his first NHL goal, and Blake Comeau, P.A. Parenteau and Milan Jurcina added goals for New York, which is 0-2-1 in its last three games.
Kevin Poulin started in goal for New York and allowed two goals on eight shots. He was relieved by Nathan Lawson, who stopped 15-of-19 shots. Poulin returned in the third and stopped 11 more shots.
"Pulling Poulin was a gut feeling," Islanders coach Jack Capuano said. "Sometimes, you just have to listen to your gut."
It took Ottawa all of 32 seconds to open the scoring. Mike Fisher passed up to Alfredsson, who came in alone on Poulin, threw a deke, and buried the puck.
"We started off so quickly and never looked back," Alfredsson said. "It's nice to be in a winning locker room."
Gillies tied it at 7:23, when a centring pass from Zenon Konopka deflected in off his skate, with a video review confirmation.
"It felt great," Gillies said about his first NHL goal. "But we have to go 100 per cent every shift."
Ottawa went back in front at 9:50 when Winchester beat Poulin cleanly from the left circle.
"It's a part of hockey," Poulin said about being pulled. "I was mad at myself for letting a quick goal in."
The Islanders got a power play in the second yet it was the Senators who made it 3-1.
Michalek finished a short-handed 2-on-1 by putting a shot between Lawson's legs at 7:13.
Comeau countered at 10:31 while both teams were skating four aside.
"It seems like a trend for us in the first period," Comeau said. "The guys were embarrassed, basically."
Twenty seconds later, Kelly blasted a shot past Lawson to give Ottawa a two-goal lead. Foligno made it 5-2 when he buried his own rebound at 13:01 before Smith scored at 14:37.
Parenteau got his 10th for the Islanders 1:49 into the final period before Jurcina blasted a point shot past Lehner at 10:50.
"We have to be ready to play," Jurcina said. "We need to have better starts."
NOTES: The Senators are the only team in the NHL that hasn't won a single game that has gone past regulation. ... Ottawa also recalled C Corey Locke from Binghamton.
