The New York Islanders won all three of their games this week. They defeated the Stars in overtime before picking up back-to-back regulation winds over the Red Wings and Bruins. The Islanders have a 26-20-14 record with 66 points. As of Sunday morning, they’re five points behind the Flyers for third in the Metro and six points out of a wild card spot.
Another OT Win Over the Stars
Monday’s game saw the Islanders pick up a 3-2 overtime win against the Stars. After an extreme shakeup of their usual lines, the Islanders took the early advantage in this game. Ryan Pulock netted the period’s only goal with a powerful wrister that beat Scott Wedgewood. The Stars struck back in the second period, with Matt Duchene tying the game on their first and only power play opportunity of the game.
Another unlikely source would step up to get the Islanders their lead back in the period. In his first game after getting recalled again, Kyle MacLean picked up a long rebound and buried his second goal of the season. Just several minutes later, Logan Stankoven got a good look against Ilya Sorokin from the left circle and scored his first career goal to tie the game back up. This would bring the game into overtime for the second straight time between the two clubs. In overtime, the game-winning goal was set up by some hard work from Mat Barzal along the boards. Keeping the puck in the zone, he eventually got it onto the stick of Bo Horvat, who scored the game-winner from the slot.
Several Droughts Ended in Win Over the Red Wings
In a big game against the Detroit Red Wings, the Islanders came up with a 5-3 victory. The team desperately needed to pick up a win in this game to keep their fading playoff hopes alive. Brock Nelson got them off to a great start, forcing a turnover and getting a prime opportunity to score the game’s first goal. Then, Casey Cizikas deflected a goal to give the Islanders a 2-0 first-period lead. The Red Wings started to get back into the game in the second period, courtesy of a one-timer from Olli Maatta.Â
Starting the third with a 2-1 lead, it didn’t take the Islanders long to blow it. Off the opening faceoff, the Red Wings got a two-on-one chance in which Patrick Kane scored the game-tying goal. But the Islanders weren’t done fighting, as Nelson deposited his second goal of the game while on the power play. Despite his heroics, the Red Wings again tied the game again off of Maatta’s second goal of the game from almost the same spot.
The Islanders needed one more hero to win this game, and they found him at the 13:58 mark of the period. Barzal got the game-winning goal past Alex Lyon from a sharp angle behind the net. As the Red Wings fought to tie the game with their net empty, the Islanders ended one of their longest droughts. Pierre Engvall got an opportunity to seal this win with an empty net goal. This was the team’s first empty netter of the season and their first overall since March of last year. Additionally, the regulation win was the Islanders’ first one since the beginning of February.
Palmieri’s Natural Hat Trick Sparks a Big Win Over the Bruins
In the final game of the week, the Islanders routed the Boston Bruins by a 5-1 final score. The win was fueled by Kyle Palmieri’s monstrous first period. He scored the game’s opening goal after getting off a perfect shot on a clear path to Linus Ullmark. Then, on an Islanders power play chance, he got a good look up front to score again. Palmieri completed his first-period natural hat trick after cleaning up a rebounded shot from Pulock.
Taking a 3-0 lead into the second, the Islanders continued to stay hot as Anders Lee picked up his own rebound and scored just 46 seconds into the period. Nelson scored a top-shelf goal later in the period to give the Islanders a commanding 5-0 lead. The Bruins got one back at the 14:30 mark of the period as Marc McLaughlin launched a shot past Sorokin. But aside from that moment, the Islanders effectively stifled the Bruins’ offense in this game. The win marked their third straight as they continue to rally for a playoff spot.Â
3 Stars of the Week
1. Kyle Palmieri (Natural hat trick vs. Bruins, two assists)
2. Mat Barzal (GWG vs. Red Wings, three assists)
3. Brock Nelson (Three goals)
Featured image courtesy of NHL.com
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