The Islanders ended their previous week of play with a pair of disappointing losses and a tough couple of games awaiting them. Despite the lack of momentum going into this week, the Isles had a highly successful four game set. They went a perfect 4-0, securing eight points and finishing the week as a top five team in the league standings with 30 points total.
The offensive powerhouse that is the Toronto Maple Leafs presented the Islanders with a tough challenge on the road. After a solid first period which saw Noah Dobson give the Isles a 1-0 lead on a shot from the point, it was all Toronto in the second. An Alex Romanov penalty gave the Maple Leafs the opportunity they needed to regain momentum. Former captain John Tavares deposited a one-timer on the power play to tie things up. From there on Toronto had control throughout most of the game, with Auston Matthews getting a deflection goal for a 2-1 advantage.
Despite the Maple Leafs maintaining control of the game, the Islanders were given a golden opportunity late in the third. Erik Kallgren came out of his net to play a puck, turning it over to Josh Bailey who beat him for the game-tying marker. That would bring the game to overtime, with Anthony Beauvillier playing the hero. He beat Kallgren with a beauty of a shot right into the toy department to secure the second point.
Another high level offensive threat was awaiting the Islanders via Connor McDavid and the visiting Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday. A key in this game was trying to stay out of the penalty box to avoid having to face the elite Oilers power play unit. Ironically enough, an Islanders penalty actually helped them take control of the game. A Beauvillier slashing penalty gave the Oilers their first power play chance of the game with no score in the second. On the kill, Adam Pelech blocked a pass and sent one of his own to Parise, who found J.G. Pageau for the go-ahead short-handed goal. Pageau struck again with a power play goal that deflected off the stick of an Oilers defender. Sebastian Aho added a nice goal of his own for the third goal in a 3-0 win.
The main story in this one was the heroics of the penalty kill and Ilya Sorokin. The Isles took five penalties total but the PK unit managed to help keep the dangerous Oilers off the board. Also helping the cause was Sorokin, who simply could not be beaten in this game. He stopped 49 Oilers shots for an impressive shutout that led the Isles to another win. Also notable in this game was the NHL debut of Simon Holmstrom, who filled in for an injured Kyle Palmieri.
The Islanders ended the week facing some lesser competition in the Columbus Blue Jackets and Philadelphia Flyers. Despite their struggles, they both brought the fight to the Islanders. On the road against Columbus, Oliver Wahlstrom and Pageau (PPG) gave the Islanders an early two-goal lead. But a pair of questionable penalties allowed the Blue Jackets to score back-to-back power-play goals (Chinakhov/Johnson) to tie things up heading into the third. It was there that Brock Nelson scored the game-winner after taking a puck off the boards and beating Joonas Korpisalo in tight. A great third period from Sorokin and strong defending against the Blue Jackets with the net empty helped secure the 3-2 win.
A very similar situation emerged against the Flyers at home on Saturday night. Goals from Adam Pelech and Lukas Sedlak in the first and goals from Joel Farabee and Zach Parise (PPG) in the second left the game tied heading into the third. It was then the Islanders went on a run, with Nelson and Beauvilluer scoring back to back to take a 4-2 lead. Parise added his second power-play goal of the game for a 5-2 final score.
This week of play illustrated the best quality of this year’s Islanders team. And that is how they’re constantly able to find ways to win games. None of the games this week were particularly pretty but they still found an opening to get the win. Whether it was Bailey taking advantage of a passing error, Sorokin making clutch saves or Nelson scoring a big goal, somebody always steps up to help secure to win. This team is far from perfect, but they play hard and are never truly out of the game until the final whistle blows. That quality is highly reminiscent of the early Trotz era teams, and will serve them well throughout the season.
1. Brock Nelson (2 goals and one assist, both goals were game-winners)
2. Ilya Sorokin (Saved 103/107 shots against for 3 wins, included 49 save shutout vs. Oilers)
3. J.G. Pageau (3 goals, one 5v5, one PPG, one short-handed)
Honorable Mention
Simon Holmstrom registered his first NHL point against the Blue Jackets, getting the secondary assist on Oliver Wahlstrom’s goal.
Featured image courtesy of Twitter/@NYIslanders
Check out our NHL page for more updates!
You can like The Game Haus on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for more sports and esports articles from great TGH writers like Justin!
Players must be 21 years of age or older or reach the minimum age for gambling in their respective state and located in jurisdictions where online gambling is legal. Please play responsibly. Bet with your head, not over it. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, and wants help, call or visit: (a) the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey at 1-800-Gambler or www.800gambler.org; or (b) Gamblers Anonymous at 855-2-CALL-GA or www.gamblersanonymous.org.
