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Good Morning, Islanders Country.
The Isles are still looking up at the Montreal Canadiens for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, but they’re looking down on everyone else after a thrilling 4-3 OT win at UBS Arena.
Even though the Isles have been consistently 4,5,6 points out of a playoff spot, there have often been 4,5,6 teams ahead of them, making improbable odds feel much more far-fetched. They didn’t only need to win; they needed other teams to scuffle their way through the season and stay within striking distance.
That’s now happened.
“What I really like is that without playing our best game, we found a way to win,” Head Coach Patrick Roy said. “At the end of the day, if you’re not playing your best and find ways to win, it’s a good sign, that’s a sign of a good hockey team.”
After back-to-back multi-goal third-period comebacks, the Isles squandered a 3-1 lead in the final 20 minutes after JG Pageau’s uncharacteristic turnover led to Brendan Gallagher’s game-tying goal. Yet, they steadied things to get to overtime, and Bo Horvat delivered his second of the night for the game-winner.
The confidence is growing, the belief is resolute, and the playoff odds look more favorable by the day. With 14 games left in the regular season, the Isles nearly control their destiny. Who saw that coming?
Let’s dive in.
'🏒 IN SHORT: Bo Horvat scored his second goal of the game 3:37 into overtime to lift the New York Islanders past the Montreal Canadiens 4-3 on Thursday night for their third straight victory. Ilya Sorokin made 38 saves and had his first two assists of the season, becoming the first Islanders goalie with multiple points in a game. Anthony Duclair and Simon Holmstrom also scored. Brendan Gallagher tied it for Montreal with 14:16 left after the Canadiens trailed 3-1 early in the third period. Patrik Laine had a goal and an assist and Joshua Roy also scored for the Canadiens. Sam Montembeault made 21 saves [ESPN]
KEY MOMENT(s):
🔷 The Isles took a 2-1 lead in the second on their second power-play goal when Holmstrom unleashed a one-timer from the right circle for his third goal in as many games, giving him 17 on the season.
🔻 Gallagher tied the game 3-3 with a breakaway goal at 14:16 of the third period, capitalizing on a turnover by Pageau in the Islanders’ offensive zone.
🔶 Horvat’s 11th career-OT winner came on a 2-on-1 with Kyle Palmieri at 3:37 when he beat Montembeault up high with a blistering wrist shot.
3 REACTIONS
❶ NUMBER ONE STAR: "He was definitely the first star of the game,” said Roy of Sorokin. “I guess you guys could decide if you give it because of the number of saves he made or the number of points he got."
❷ BIG TWO POINTS: “We would have liked to win that one in regulation, but to get the win in overtime is huge for us,” Horvat said. “They’re a good team over there they’ve been playing well as of late. It was a big two points for us.”
❸ EVERY POINT MATTERS: “It gives us a lot of confidence, especially with the two comeback wins we had, and tonight’s win especially, every point matters right now to get into the playoffs,” said Holmstrom “Now we’re just looking toward the game ahead.”"
GAME IMPACT SCORE
⏭ NEXT UP: The Islanders continue their four-game homestand on Saturday afternoon against the Calgary Flames. Face-off is set for 4:00 PM EDT.
📊 STANDINGS:
📰 NEWS: NHL Insider Frank Seravelli of The Daily Faceoff posted on Thursday night that the Islanders are on the verge of signing undrafted college free agent Gleb Veremyev of Colorado College of Monroe Township, NJ.
Here was Seravelli’s write-up on Veremyev:
The points aren’t going to jump off the page for Veremyev, but scouts see the potential with his NHL-sized frame (6-foot-4) and attention to detail. His offensive production has been nearly cut in half this season, down from 28 points to 16 this year. The 21-year-old New Jersey native reminds scouts of David Steckel, a faceoff specialist who wins a ton of draws. Veremyev still has NCAA eligibility remaining as a junior, so no need to jump just yet
Staying Put
21-year-old. goaltender Dmitry Gamzin has signed a two-year extension with CSKA Moscow to stay in the KHL, according to Hockey News Hub. Taken in the fourth round, 115th overall, Gamzin was the first of the two goaltenders taken by the Isles, selected in his final year of draft eligibility.
Gamzin's remaining in Russia will see him earn more ice time against some of the top talents in the world. When his new deal expires, he will be 23 years old, which is typically an age when goaltenders are ready to become contributors in the NHL.
Mr. 500
Islanders captain Anders Lee (285-215—500 in 827 GP) became the 13th player to record 500 points with the Islanders with an assist on Anthony Duclair’s power-play goal in the first period. Among those players, his 285 goals are already the most at the time of the milestone.
📚 SOUND SMART: Per Eric Hornick in The Skinny, Ilya Sorokin is the first goalie in Islander history with a multiple-assist game and the first Islander goalie with a goal and an assist in the same season. Sorokin also joins Ron Hextall (December 1993) as the only Islander goalie with three points in a month, as he becomes the first Islander goalie with multiple overtime assists in his career (3/9/23 in Pittsburgh).
🎥 ISLES REWIND: On March 21, 1987, Pat LaFontaine scored a pair of third-period goals as the Islanders came back to defeat the New York Rangers 4-3 at the Nassau Coliseum. With the Rangers leading 3-2 at the end of two periods, LaFontaine evened the score during a power play at 9:33 of the third.
Mikko Makela, who had three assists, passed back to Ken Leiter at the point. Leiter’s shot was stopped by Rangers goalie John Vanbiesbrouck, who dumped the rebound on LaFontaine’s stick for a tap-in. At 15:05, Leiter and LaFontaine repeated a very similar play resulting in LaFontaine’s rebound winning the game. It was his 34th goal of the season.
🔗 Patrick Roy puzzled by goaltender interference rule again after Islanders’ failed challenge by Ethan Sears, New York Post “One of the best goaltenders in the history of the sport is as mystified as everyone else — from casual fan on up — at the NHL’s enforcement of goaltender interference. “Maybe we should ask the question, what is goalie interference now?” Patrick Roy said after his Islanders beat the Canadiens 4-3 in overtime on Thursday. “It’s getting tougher and tougher for everyone.”
🔗 Are the NY Islanders Owners Underappreciated by Fans? via Eyes on Isles “The New York Islanders' ownership situation is the best it's ever been, and yes, that includes the years in which they won four consecutive Stanley Cups when John Pickett owned the team. Scott Malkin, Jon Ledecky, and now additional minority owners, including John Collins, have brought stability to a franchise that was, for a long stretch, the most unstable in the league - and that's not even counting almost owner and convicted fraud, John Spano.”
And we leave you with this …. the Isles are in the playoffs’ rearview mirror.
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I had the Islanders done after The California road trip. Now they are only 2 back it's amazing how only Montreal is ahead of them. Amazing