TORONTO -- The Toronto Maple Leafs may be last in the NHL, but they refuse to sit in the cellar and pout. They can still play for pride and points.

The Maple Leafs beat the New York Islanders 4-3 in a shootout Wednesday night at the Air Canada Centre on a goal by flashy rookie Nikita Soshnikov, one of several youngsters called up from the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League. The kids are indeed proving they are all right.

Soshnikov's winner in sudden death punctuated a game in which the young guns provided the offence. Center William Nylander scored his second goal in as many games. Fellow freshman center Zach Hyman also scored his second goal. Veteran defenseman Morgan Rielly, who is only 22, had the other Leaf goal.

The Maple Leafs improved to 22-33-11.

"I thought this was Nylander's best game by a mile," Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock said. "Hyman and Sosh are here to stay. They're real players. They're just too good and work too hard and are too fast. Too much work ethic. So those guys will play and Willy is obviously getting better."

The Islanders, playing their second game in as many nights, earned a point to move within two points of the second place New York Rangers in the Metropolitan Division. They have a record of 37-20-8 and have played two fewer games than their rivals.

John Tavares, Nick Leddy and Ryan Strome scored for the Islanders. Tavares, who scored his 25th of the season, lamented the loss after Strome gave the Islanders the lead midway through the third. He was called on a penalty at 16:52 and the Leafs tied it up on Nylander's goal. The Islanders came into the game first overall in penalty killing.

"We had a game yesterday and it was a little bit of a tough travel and sometimes it's tough on second and third efforts, but we battled hard," he said. "It was hot out there and we were just trying to battle and compete and find a way to get it done, but it's unfortunate."

Thomas Greiss will be handling the bulk of the Islanders' netminding for the next six weeks with Jaroslav Halak sidelined with a lower-body injury incurred the previous night against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Greiss, a 30-year-old German-born player, signed a two-year, $3 million contract with the Islanders in the offseason. He has played well in 30 games with a goals-against average of about 2.20.

"He's good, he's a competitive kid," Islanders coach Jack Capuano said. "He's going to fight for every inch of his ice out there. I thought both goalies were fine, particularly ours. He made some big saves when he had to. Give them credit, they played hard."

Toronto goalie Garret Sparks, another of the call-ups, played his second game in a row and is showing why he should be considered for the starting job next year.

"We're a group of guys that take a lot of pride in the way we play and how hard we play," Sparks said. "We haven't really been getting rewarded with wins for as hard as we've been playing. Anytime we can get a win we're happy to get one."

Nylander said the veterans have been helping the rookies.

"Playing the way we've been playing, I think everybody was contributing to the win," Nylander said. "It's been great. It's nice that we were able to put the puck in the back of the net today."

NOTES: G Jean-Francois Berube was called up as a replacement because of the injury to G Jaroslav Halak. ...The Islanders' injury list includes C Mikhail Grabovski (upper body), D Calvin de Haan (lower body), D Adam Pelech (upper body) and D Marek Zidlicky (day to day). ... Maple Leafs RW P.A. Parenteau, who played two seasons for the Islanders, returned to the lineup after missing five games with a neck injury. He was rumored to be involved in a possible deal with the Islanders before the trade deadline. ... The Maple Leafs recalled D T.J. Brennan on an emergency basis. He is third in the American Hockey League among defensemen with 55 points. Brennan was recalled because D Victor Loov, who had been called up from the Marlies on Tuesday, was injured in practice. Loov had replaced D Matt Hunwick, who is sidelined for the season with a sports hernia. LW Joffrey Lupul is out with the same injury.