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Good Morning, Islanders Country.
The day started with a smiling Mathew Barzal at morning skate and ended with an animated Patrick Roy at the post-game press conference, calling the team’s effort unacceptable. In between, the Islanders earned two points against the Chicago Blackhawks, but the lasting impression made on the head coach was one of a team that let themselves and their goaltender down.
"I guess times have changed because in my days, if my team would have done that to me, I will break a stick in that room," Roy said. "I'd be very upset to see my team playing like this in front of me. Ilya is a gentleman, he's a first-class person. That was unacceptable”
The Islanders needed a “laugher,” and it looked like they were on to one after scoring three goals in a span of 2:19 of the third period. However, the game went from becoming funny quickly to no laughing matter with how they finished.
"We didn't compete, we didn't battle in front of the net in the last eight minutes. That's unacceptable, Roy added. “We talked about it this morning to be stronger. Our goalie deserved more respect than this."
The Islanders had a night where they broke out offensively, with lots of players on the scoresheet, and instead of riding high, they left the arena with a sour taste in their mouths and their coach, for lack of a better word, pissed.
The Islanders say they want to be a tough team to play against, one that can hold leads and close out games. Yet efforts like last night leave you questioning their ability and willingness to do so. Instead of using this game to create good habits, their shaky confidence remains. They are heading to Chicago on Sunday with a win but a hard lesson learned—one they should have already known.
Let’s dive in.
🏒 IN SHORT: Simon Holmstrom had a goal and two assists, Noah Dobson had a goal and an assist, and the Islanders held on to beat the Chicago Blackhawks 5-4 on Thursday night. Dennis Cholowski, Bo Horvat, and Max Tsyplakov also scored for New York, and Jean-Gabriel Pageau had three assists. Ilya Sorokin made 27 saves as the Islanders improved to 3-2-1 in their last six games. Tyler Bertuzzi scored twice, Connor Bedard had a goal and an assist, and T.J. Brodie also scored for Chicago, which has lost six of seven. Arvid Soderblom made 14 saves for Chicago before he was replaced by Drew Commesso, making his NHL debut, at 7:58 of the third period. Commesso finished with two saves. [ESPN]
KEY MOMENT(s):
🔷 The Isles took a 2-1 lead 14:06 into the second period on a great individual effort from Holmstrom. The winger took the puck down the boards, back up and then came across into the high slot and beat the screened goaltender with a shot.
🔶 The first of the Isles three goals at 5:39 of the third when Brock Nelson made a nifty move to keep possession in the neutral zone, sending Dobson down the left side for a wrist shot that beat Soderblom five-hole.
3 REACTIONS
❶ DESERVED BETTER: “We need to be a lot better at home in our building,” Islanders forward Matt Martin said. “That used to be our bread and butter. You get a 5-1 lead. We played really well in the second up until the fifth goal. Then [there were] breakdowns, guys not staying focused.”
❷ PLAY 60 MINUTES: "We've got to go out there and play solid for 60 minutes, and not just 40 or 50," Simon Holmstrom said. "You can get punished in this league, I think that's something we really got to work on to play those full 60 minutes.
❸ CAN’T BE DOING THAT: "Not the way we want to start," Noah Dobson said. "We were out-worked and out-competed in the first period and we can't be doing that. But the guys responded well, had a good push later in the second, into the third, and then, obviously we got to clean up the last 5-10 minutes. We have to be better for Ilya. But found a way to win, which is the most important."
GAME IMPACT SCORE
⏭ NEXT UP: The Islanders complete their home and home with the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday afternoon. Face-off is set for 3:00 PM EST
📊 STANDINGS:
📰 NEWS: The gang’s almost back together. After playing with a depleted roster for over a month, Adam Pelech, Mat Barzal, and Anthony Duclair were all on the ice for a morning skate with their teammates and without non-contact jerseys.
Pelech has been practicing with the team for a few days now, wearing a non-contact jersey and a full face shield, as Barzal and Duclair have been skating on their own. But now, with all three back in the mix, the Isles are close to returning to full strength for the first time in a while.
"It's for everybody," Head Coach Patrick Roy said. "It just tells you that they're getting closer and closer to get back in the lineup. It's funny sometimes, when those injuries happen, you feel like they'll never come back. But now they're close to returning, as I think it's a good feeling for everybody."
The Islanders have struggled to score goals all season, sitting 29th in the league in goals per game at 2.53, and could use a boost from Barzal and Duclair, who were both part of the first line with Bo Horvat at the start of the season.
Simon Saying and Showing Something
Simon Holmstrom continued his strong season on Thursday night with a goal and two assists. He has eight goals and ten assists through 31 games this season, only seven points shy of his career-best 25 points in 75 games last season.
"He's been playing really well since the start of the season," Roy said of Holmstrom. "It doesn't matter who he plays with, he finds a way to compete and play well. He scored a nice goal, a scissor play coming into the pocket, and took that shot. Great job by him."
Holmstrom continues to show his value and impress the coaching staff. He has a real chance to score around 20 goals and 40 points this season, which would signal his reliability as a contributor to the team’s top nine for years to come.
"We have a couple guys out right now and I've been going through most of the lines, so I'm just getting comfortable out there, trying to play my hockey as best I can and it's been working,” Holmstrom said.
The People’s Insider
Ethan Levy, aka The People’s Insider and one of the co-hosts of the “Isles’ House” podcast, posted that he expects BOTH Mathew Barzal and Adam Pelech to play Sunday afternoon in Chicago with Anthony Duclair not too far away. “TPI” has had a rather impeccable record in recent months, so we will see whether
📚 SOUND SMART: Per Eric Hornick in The Skinny, Dennis Cholowski scored his 3rd goal of the season, the most goals he has scored since he was a rookie (8 in 2018-19). It is the first time this season that the Isles have scored three times in the third period. The three goals in 2:19 were the fastest by the Isles since February 9, 2022, in Vancouver (three in 31 seconds, which is the 2nd-fastest in club history)…Ilya Sorokin improves 8-35-15 when allowing at least four goals; only four of the eight wins have been in regulation.
🎥 ISLES REWIND: It was a Stanley Cup preview on December 13, 1983, as Butch Goring scored four times against Wayne Gretzky and the Edmonton Oilers, leading the Isles to an 8-5 win at the Nassau Coliseum. Goring scored both Isles goals in the second period, unassisted at 5:28 on a 2-on-1 and again at 17:23. Goring completed his four-goal effort at 17:15 of the third, scoring into an empty net. The win was the Isles’ ninth straight against EDM.
🎧 Weird Islanders: Victor Kozlov with Steven Smith “Along with LHH's Steven Smith, we remember Viktor Kozlov, the big center who had a big season and an enormous game at a famous arena in his one season as an Islander. Going from draft bust to valuable player after a trade from the Sharks to the Panthers, Kovlov eventually joined the mercenary 2006-07 Islanders and immediately became one of their most reliable scoring threats.”
🔗 Islanders' Mathew Barzal getting closer to making his return by Andrew Gross, Newsday “The familiar wide smile and constant chirping were welcome additions to the Islanders’ morning skate. Top-liner Mathew Barzal, injured on Oct. 30, happily made his presence known as he resumed skating with teammates on Thursday. Even better, he was wearing a regular practice jersey, not a non-contact jersey.”
🔗 Why the Islanders should keep Isaiah George on the NHL roster by Ethan Sears, New York Post “Exactly when is not clear, but the day is coming soon when Mat Barzal, Anthony Duclair and Adam Pelech will be back in the lineup (Mike Reilly, recovering from heart surgery, is presumed to be a longer-term question). Decisions — with the salary cap and with the lineup — will have to be made to accommodate those returns, and there is going to be a temptation to send Isaiah George back to AHL Bridgeport for more seasoning when the moment arrives.”
And we leave you with this ….Mets owner Alex Cohen, in what was sure the highlight of her day, was on hand at UBS Arena hours after the team introduced Juan Soto
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