The Islanders trail ninth-place Toronto by one point and eighth-place Montreal by two. New York has two games remaining, while the Canadiens and Leafs face each other Saturday night in their regular-season finales.
Ryan Smyth and Mike Sillinger also scored for the Islanders while Wade Dubielewicz stopped 28 shots.
John Pohl and Carlo Colaiacovo scored for Toronto, while Andrew Raycroft stopped 22 shots.