NEW YORK -- The effects of several days of cross-country travel prior to a physical game Monday night left New York Islanders left winger Matt Martin too tired to ponder the symbolism of finishing what he started.

Martin's fight with Anaheim Ducks defenseman Josh Manson jump-started a three-goal first period for the slumping Islanders and his empty-net goal with 2:33 remaining in the game iced a 5-2 win that snapped New York's three-game losing streak.

Asked if it felt good to produce the final flourish of a much-needed win in the Islanders' final game before the holiday break, Martin grinned.

"Honestly, I was just so tired and so happy it just went in the net," Martin said. "Left my stick, it was like 'Oh no, it could be icing here.' Thankfully it went in. It's definitely nice to get one."

Martin's goal capped a therapeutic evening for the Islanders (19-11-5), who returned home early Sunday morning following an 0-2-0 road trip to Colorado and Arizona.

"That was a long trip that we had to come back (from) -- little bit of a time change," Islanders head coach Jack Capuano said. "We got a little fatigued at the end. I give our guys a lot of credit."

The Islanders moved into second place in the Metropolitan Division after scoring five goals in a game for the first time since on Nov. 30. New York scored just 19 goals in its first nine games of the month, including two in the last three.

"Tonight we went to the net, we shot pucks, we got some breaks," Capuano said. "But we did some of those things the last few games we lost, too. It was good to see the guys get rewarded."

The night got off to a familiar start for the Islanders, who fell behind for the fourth straight game when Ducks left winger Carl Hagelin put back the rebound of his own shot at 6:52.

A little less than six minutes later, Manson barreled into Islanders defenseman Nick Leddy along the boards. Martin, the Islanders' enforcer, skated up to Manson and immediately dropped the gloves. The two sized each other up for a few seconds before trading haymakers in a fight that incited Martin's teammates as well as the announced crowd of 13,578.

"He steps up, he does the right things when it's necessary," Capuano said. "You get the crowd involved, you get your players involved. He's been there for us for years doing the same thing."

With Martin and Manson still serving five-minute majors, Islanders right winger Cal Clutterbuck -- a member of the fourth line along with Martin -- tied the game with 5:06 left. New York continued to capitalize on the momentum in the final minute of the period, when defenseman Travis Hamonic and center Brock Nelson scored 43 seconds apart.

"We had chances and then we were able to finally break through," said Islanders center John Tavares, whose assists on the final two first period goals were his first since Nov. 25. "Mattie had a good fight and we built off that."

It was the Islanders' first three-goal period since Nov. 30.

"Obviously the guys really responded well to it," Martin said. "Sometimes those things work in your favor, sometimes they don't. But (it was) definitely something that I think needed to be done."

The first three-goal period surrendered by the Ducks since Nov. 21 was enough to get Andersen pulled for John Gibson.

"You could tell when he's on and when he's not," Ducks head coach Bruce Boudreau said. "I just didn't think he had it tonight. If we had got out of the first period things might have been different."

After a scoreless second, Manson pulled the Ducks within 3-2 at the 7:32 mark of the third, when he picked a loose puck out of the air and fired a shot past screened Islanders goalie Jaroslav Halak (27 saves).

However, the Islanders regained a two-goal advantage just 2:03 later, when a turnover behind the Ducks net by defenseman Hampus Lindholm led to a goal by center Josh Bailey.

"If you go into the break on a four-game losing streak, it weighs on you a little bit," Martin said. "It was a good win we felt we really needed tonight. Probably one of the bigger games of the year thus far."

Gibson made 18 saves for the Ducks (12-15-5), whose 60 goals are 14 fewer than any other team. Anaheim's 29 total points are tied for the fewest in the league with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Columbus Blue Jackets.

"I would venture to think if I was a goalie, I'd have to play perfect every night to have some success," Boudreau said.

NOTES: The Islanders scratched RW Kyle Okposo (lower body) as well as LW Eric Boulton and D Marek Zidlicky. ... The Ducks scratched LW Max Friberg and D Clayton Stoner as well as C Nate Thompson, who completed a three-game suspension he received for delivering an illegal check to the head of Carolina D Justin Faulk on Dec. 11. ... The Islanders played their earliest final pre-Christmas game since 1976. The Ducks visit the New York Rangers in their final pre-Christmas game Tuesday.