The Associated Press

ATLANTA - Alexei Yashin's 10th NHL season has hardly been easy. Lately, though, he senses a change for the better.

"I think you go through and try to play as hard as you can," he said. "Sometimes it's worked and sometimes it doesn't work, but you try to give your best effort every night to give your team a chance to win a hockey game."

Yashin scored in consecutive games for the first time since mid-October and added a third-period assist Sunday, helping the New York Islanders beat Atlanta 4-1 and end the Thrashers' three-game winning streak.

"Things like that happen during your hockey career, you know? You go up and down," Yashin said. "But the best I can ask of myself is to put a best effort and hopefully this all will work."

Thrashers coach Bob Hartley lost for the first time since he was hired last Tuesday. Atlanta has never won four straight games in its four-year history.

Yashin backed the play of Islanders goaltender Chris Osgood, who stopped 24 shots and improved to 7-0-0 against the Thrashers. Yashin gave New York a 2-1 lead 5:01 into the second period on a power play. He skated past Richard Smehlik at the blue line on a breakaway and forced Mike Weaver to turn the wrong way before beating goaltender Pasi Nurminen low.

Yashin, a three-time All-Star, has 12 goals and is on track for his lowest total in six seasons.

Canucks 4, Red Wings 1

DETROIT - Dan Cloutier stopped 33 shots and Bryan Allen scored the go-ahead goal as Vancouver got its first regular-season win in Detroit since Feb.6, 1997.

The Canucks beat the defending Stanley Cup champions twice at Joe Louis Arena during the first round of last season's Stanley Cup playoffs and won in Vancouver earlier this season.

Trent Klatt, Sami Salo and Matt Cooke also scored for the Canucks. Tomas Holmstrom scored the lone Red Wings goal.

Flyers 4, Rangers 2

NEW YORK - Michal Handzus snapped a tie with just 5:04 left and Philadelphia rallied to a victory.

Handzus, who beat New York with a penalty-shot goal in overtime in the teams' last meeting, ended it earlier this time by capitalizing on a Mark Messier turnover.

Messier, who turned 42 Saturday, had the puck to the right of the New York goal, but lost control of it to Handzus, who came around and tucked his 14th goal into the net.

Keith Primeau and Simon Gagne scored 1:43 apart in the second. Primeau added an empty-net goal with 29.6 seconds left in the game.