What a week this was for the New York Islanders. After a miserable three game losing stretch, the team rebounded with three electrifying wins in a row. First was beating the Rangers for the first time ever at UBS Arena in a dominating 3-0 win. They then traveled to Carolina where they defeated the Hurricanes in a convincing 6-2 victory. And lastly, for the most exciting game of the week, the Isles hosted the championship Avalanche team. After falling down 3-0 in the second, the Islanders went on a 5-1 run to pick up a 5-4 win.
After last week’s losing streak began to cast doubt on the team’s capabilities, the Islanders responded by bringing the fight to three high quality teams. They may not be perfect, but these three games have sent a clear message that we shouldn’t close the door on this year’s team too early. Here are some of the biggest highlights from this week’s slate of Islanders games.
Sorokin’s Dominance
Ilya Sorokin was at his peak in his two starts against the Rangers and Hurricanes. Across the two contests he saved 74 out of 76 shots against him for two wins. His most dominant performance came against the Rangers, who peppered him with 41 shots on net. Sorokin turned away all 41 of the shots en route to his first shutout of the 2022-23 season.
He turned in another impressive 33 save performance to guide the Islanders to a win against the Hurricanes. Sorokin’s big highlight in this one was an incredible glove save to preserve the perfect penalty kill streak. It was a great week for Sorokin and a reminder of the incredible luxury the Islanders have with him defending the crease.
Historic Penalty Kill
One of the consistently great aspects of this year’s Islanders team has been their penalty kill unit. That remained to be true throughout this week despite a numerous amount of challenges. The Rangers and Hurricanes got three power play chances each, which included a 5 on 3 opportunity in Carolina. But with a little help from Ilya Sorokin, the PK unit kept it together to successfully kill 28 straight power plays. This terrific streak also put the Islanders in the NHL history books.
The eight straight games without allowing a power play goal set a new NHL record. Unfortunately, the streak came to an end against the Avalanche when Mikko Rantanen netted a power play goal against Varlamov. But the 29/30 start for the penalty kill is still incredibly impressive and shows the great defensive identity this Islanders team has.
Josh Bailey’s 1,000th Game
Love him or hate him, Josh Bailey has been a big part of the Islanders franchise. The 9th overall pick from the 2008 draft has been a source of consistent offense across his 15 NHL seasons, all as an Islander. When he took the ice against the Hurricanes on Friday night he became the third ever Islander to play 1,000 games with the team. Bailey was honored at Saturday’s home game against the Avalanche with a video tribute and the silver stick along with a team signed jersey and painting.
This was also a big week for Bailey on the ice as well as he was involved in several big plays. He deflected an Adam Pelech shot past Jaroslav Halak to give the Isles a 2-0 lead against the Rangers. He also made a nice move with the puck to deposit the game winning goal past Freddie Andersen against the Hurricanes. Bailey’s best days may be behind him, but he’s still very capable of coming up clutch in big moments.
Three Stars of the Week:
1. Illya Sorokin: 74 saves and two goals allowed in two starts
2. Brock Nelson: 3 goals (2 vs. NYR, 1 vs. COL)
3. Mat Barzal: 5 assists (2 primary assists against Hurricanes, primary assist on Mayfield’s tying goal against Avalanche)
Credits
Featured image courtesy of New York Post via Robert Sabo
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