The four games the New York Islanders played this week is best compared to a rollercoaster ride. In back-to-back contests the Islanders came back from 3-1 down to pick up 4-3 victories against the Flames and Rangers. They then hosted the Coyotes for a bizarre and deflating 2-0 loss. The Isles capped off the week with a back and forth affair with the Blue Jackets that again ended in a 4-3 victory. None of the wins were particularly pretty, but the three win week still builds on the strong opening to the 2022-23 season.
A common thread in all three of the Islanders’ wins this week was having to make a comeback. It started at home against the Flames, where the Islanders found themselves down 3-1 in the third after a bad start. But the Islanders turned it around in a big way in the third and tied the game with goals from Lee and Palmieri. The comeback was completed courtesy of a Dobson power play goal in overtime.
The Islanders found themselves in a very similar situation the next day on the road against the Rangers, down 3-1 in the third. But third period goals by Pelech and Nelson (PPG) tied the game before Lee beat Shesterkin one on one for the game winner in regulation.
The final comeback win came on Saturday night. In the second period, the Islanders found themselves down a goal on two separate occasions, with Nelson tying the game up each time. They fell down a goal again in the third, but again found a tying goal courtesy of Mayfield. In overtime, Pageau found Parise on a 2-on-1 for the game-winning goal.
In the first game after the back-to-back resounding comebacks, the Islanders hosted the Coyotes. After beating a pair of playoff caliber teams, it was believed the lowly Coyotes would be a layup win. Instead, the Islanders were shut out by the Coyotes in a 2-0 loss. It was a sloppy game that featured 23 missed shots from the Islanders and a couple of loud posts. The difference maker in this game came as a result from a bad holding penalty on Bailey at the end of the second. Travis Boyd beat Sorokin and the now struggling Islanders PK unit for the game winning marker. Despite having their chances, the Islanders never managed to get their comeback underway in this one. It was a bad contest through and through amidst a week of some thrilling victories.
This was a fun week of Islanders hockey, but it could’ve easily been a miserable one. The periods that preceded the comeback victories were absolutely awful. Against Calgary, the Islanders were completely outmatched in the first and second periods. The Flames controlled play in the Islanders zone throughout and outshot the Islanders 30-12 heading into the third.
The Rangers controlled play in a similar fashion the next day, registering over 30 shots before the third. The Islanders found themselves down 3-1 because of three second period penalties, two of which got by the now struggling Islanders PK unit. Even the struggling Blue Jackets gave the Islanders a significant scare before getting the best of them in overtime. Despite the end results, the level of play early in these games were cause for some concern.
There’s nothing wrong with a good comeback, it’s a show of a great team with a lot of heart. However, these awful starts could potentially be catastrophic. Any one of these three victories could’ve gotten away from them long before they staged the eventual late game comeback. If the Isles keep starting games the way they did this week, they’ll come out on the losing end more often than not. Having higher energy starts should be a big point of emphasis ahead of this week to try and avoid facing a significant deficit early. With all of the games on the road, coming from behind will prove a bit more difficult so the team will want to establish early momentum to keep their winning ways intact.
1. Brock Nelson (2 goals, 1 PPG, 1 assist, all three goals were game tying)
2. Kyle Palmieri (1 goal, 1 PPG, 1 assist, game tying goal against Flames)
3. Mat Barzal (5 assists, three against Flames)
Featured image courtesy of Corey Sipkin for the NY Post
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