The New York Islanders went 2-0-1 in their three games played this week. They won home games against the Rangers and Canadiens and suffered their only loss on the road against the Rangers. The Islanders have a 37-27-15 record with 90 total points heading into their final week of regular season play. They finish the week in third place in the Metro Division.
First Period Flurry Sparks Win Over Rangers
The Islanders beat the New York Rangers by a 4-2 final score for their fifth straight win. This win was fueled by an excellent first period that featured three Islanders goals. Mike Reilly scored the game’s first goal off a wrist shot that came from a faceoff win. Bo Horvat kept things rolling at the 11:47 mark of the period, tipping in a shot from Noah Dobson. The third and final goal of the period was scored two minutes later by Kyle Palmieri, who had a wide open net to score on.
Much like the Stadium Series game, the Rangers started to rally back by way of their power play. Chris Kreider scored a deflection goal on the Rangers’ first power play of the game to cut the lead down to two. Adam Fox then scored their second power play goal of the second period to make it a one-goal game heading into the third. While the Rangers completely dominated zone time for almost the entire period, the Islanders held steady. They made a great defensive effort to limit the high danger chances coming against them during this time frame. Semyon Varlamov also continued to stay hot and made 31 saves in the game. The game came down to the final seconds, in which a controversial hit along the boards gave the Islanders a chance to seal the game. The team was able to take advantage of the loose puck and set up Anders Lee for the game-sealing empty net goal, getting their first win over the Rangers this season.
Palmieri Plays Hero in Overtime Victory Against the Canadiens
It took overtime for the Islanders to defeat the Montreal Canadiens by a 3-2 final score at home. The Islanders were unable to reenact their first period success from Tuesday, as they went without a first period goal. The Canadiens got the early jump when Jordan Harris buried a one-timer in the first. However, the Islanders played a perfect second period, blanking the Canadiens offense. They tied the game on a strong wrister from Pierre Engvall in the slot.
Taking a 1-1 tie into the third period, the Canadiens put the Islanders winning streak in jeopardy. Cole Caufield snuck one by Varlamov to restore his team’s one-goal lead early in the period. But just minutes later, Casey Cizikas tied this game yet again on a wrap-around goal. This secured an always valuable point for the Islanders as this game went to overtime. In the overtime period, Palmieri continued to be one of the team’s best offensive weapons down the stretch. He beat Sam Montembeault top shelf with an amazingly accurate shot with limited space. This overtime victory marked the sixth straight win for the Islanders.Â
Winning Streak Ended in Shootout Loss to the Rangers
In their second meeting against the Rangers this week, the Islanders lost by a 3-2 score in a shootout. The biggest story in this game was the disastrous Islanders power play, which went scoreless in five total opportunities. One of those five power play chances directly resulted in the Rangers’ first goal of the game. They got an odd man rush in which Braden Schneider picked up his own rebound and beat Ilya Sorokin. Engvall nearly salvaged the terrible power play with a goal, but the Rangers successfully challenged it for offsides.
Despite the ugly start to the second period, the Islanders managed to head into the third on top. Brock Nelson tied the game by batting in a rebound past Igor Shesterkin. Nelson struck again later in the period, this time scoring the go-ahead goal after a nifty setup from Hudson Fasching. Yet again, the Islanders found themselves with a one-goal lead over the Rangers in the third. However, they did not find the same success in securing that lead. Artemi Panarin sniped in the game-tying goal off of a faceoff win. That marker brought this game to overtime and secured both teams an important point. A thrilling overtime period still couldn’t settle the stalemate, so the game was brought to a shootout. The Islanders went scoreless while Panarin and Vincent Trocheck scored to end the Islanders six-game win streak.
3 Stars of the Week
1. Kyle Palmieri (2 goals, 2 assists)
2. Brock Nelson (2 goals in road game against Rangers, 2 assists)
3. Semyon Varlamov (2 wins, 2.00 GAA)
Featured image courtesy of NHL.com
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