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Good Morning, Islanders Country.
Patrick Roy wanted the Islanders to play with more swagger.
I’m not sure that’s what we saw last night, but as this week proved, results matter more than how you play. The Isles were better vs. the Rangers than they were against the Bruins but ended their four-game losing streak on the back of a bounce-back 38-save performance by Ilya Sorokin. “Sometimes you just need to find a way to win,” Roy said. “And that's what we did.”
The game was a complete reversal from Tuesday, when Sorokin allowed five goals on only 11 shots against 1.12 expected goals. Last night, he stopped 38 of 39 shots, and the Isles allowed 16 high-danger chances and 4.69 expected goals.
If you thought the season was already over, last night’s win shouldn’t move you toward a different conclusion. They’re still seven points out of a playoff spot with six teams in front of them. When they have good nights, more than likely one of those teams are, too, making this so much more of a challenge than what they faced the previous two seasons. If you believed it was still too early to accept that claim, then the win offered a glimmer of hope that the Isles can follow up this win with a few more before decision time on March 7th.
Let’s dive in.
🏒 IN SHORT: Ilya Sorokin made 38 saves, and the New York Islanders ended a season-long four-game losing streak with a 2-1 win against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on Thursday. Alexander Romanov and Kyle Palmieri scored for the Islanders (26-25-7). David Pastrnak scored to extend his NHL career-high point streak to 16 games for the Bruins (27-25-8), who are 0-3-2 in their past five games. Jeremy Swayman made 18 saves. Pastrnak has 31 points (14 goals, 17 assists) during his streak and reached 800 points (379 goals, 421 assists) in the NHL [NHL]
KEY MOMENT(s):
🔷 Romanov gave the Islanders a 1-0 lead at 16:10 of the first period when he came out of the penalty box, jumped onto the ice, and broke in 2-on-1 with Jean-Gabriel Pageau, who fed him for the game’s first goal.
🔶 Palmieri made it 2-0 at 4:21 of the second period after Swayman made an initial save off Brock Nelson, but Palmieri was there for the rebound.
3 REACTIONS
❶ BOXING OUT: “We practiced that yesterday... making sure that we do a good job boxing out and then grab sticks,” Roy said. “It was a good game in that regard, there's no doubt about it and I felt like it wasn't a big adjustment for our guys.”
❷ PLAY SIMPLE: “After bad game, you should forget past and just try to do what you can do,” Sorokin said. “And I tried to just play simple and play a full 60 minutes.”
❸ FELT PRETTY GOOD: “Overall, felt pretty good,” Dobson said after 18:54 of ice tim. “Still a little off, I feel like, timing and some touches. Overall, I thought it was a good first game and a big win.”
GAME IMPACT SCORE
⏭ NEXT UP: The Islanders return home to UBS Arena to face off with the Nashville Predators in a Saturday matinee. Face-off is set for 12:30 PM EST.
📊 STANDINGS:
📰 NEWS: The Islanders officially activated defenseman Noah Dobson from long-term injured reserve ahead of Thursday night’s game against the Boston Bruins. Dobson had been sidelined for 11 games after sustaining a lower-body injury in late January during a win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. The 25-year-old returned to practice following the 4 Nations Face-Off break and progressed well enough to rejoin the lineup.
“I’m excited to be back,” Dobson said pregame. “Obviously it sucks when you miss an extended period of time, but I feel good. I’ve had some really good skates with the team and I’m ready for a big test tonight.”
“It was great to be back. It's no fun where you're sitting out, especially for extended period of time. Obviously, a lot of lot of energy and just excitement to get back in the lineup, but overall, I thought was pretty good first game, and obviously a big win, something you can build off.”
Wahlstrom on Waivers
Before the game, the Bruins placed former Islanders forward Oliver Wahlstrom on waivers after the 24-year-old registered one goal and one assist in 16 games with Boston this season. The Islanders previously waived him on Dec. 10 after recording two goals and four points in 27 games. The Bruins claimed him the following day.
The Islanders selected Wahlstrom 11th overall in the 2018 NHL Draft. He has been playing on a one-year, $1 million contract and will become a restricted free agent at the end of the season. The Portland, Maine native has played 236 career NHL games, amassing 37 goals and 73 points between the Islanders and Bruins.
📚 SOUND SMART: Per Eric Hornick in The Skinny, the Isles earned a regulation win in Boston for the first time since January 16, 2017, when Thomas Greiss blanked the Bruins in Jack Capuano's final game as Isles head coach. Greiss made 32 saves, and Nikolay Kulemin scored twice in the 4-0 win.
🎥 ISLES REWIND: On Feb. 28, 2019, John Tavares returned to Long Island for the first time as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs. The “Isles Faithful” mercilessly booed their former captain throughout the game and even through his tribute video from the organization.
As for the game, Casey Cizikas scored twice in a resounding 6-1 win over the Leafs in front of a sell-out Nassau Coliseum crowd. Anthony Beauvillier, Anders Lee, Valtteri Filppula, and Brock Nelson also scored. “They were good the entire game," Cizikas said of the fans. "I thought they got us going. They played their role, and they did an unbelievable job, and we fed off it from the start.”
🔗 LeBrun Reports Lamoriello, Islanders Still Trying to Sign Nelson, Despite Isles in 14th Place by Russ Macias, NYIHockeyNow “On TSN’s Insider Trading, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports that the New York Islanders have not made Brock Nelson available for trade as of today. Said LeBrun: “He’s [Nelson] kind of holding up a lot of things. There’s so many teams looking for center help. But there’s still no clear indication from the New York Islanders that Brock Nelson will actually be made available.”
🔗 Could Islanders captain Anders Lee be a trade possibility as deadline nears? by Andrew Gross, Newsday “There’s a strong belief Anders Lee is drawing plenty of league-wide interest. However, that is very different than saying Lamoriello is open to moving his captain or has given inquiring callers any indication that would be a possibility. Still, Lee could be an asset to a playoff contender. At 34, the power forward has been one of the Islanders’ most consistent performers with 23 goals and 18 assists in 57 games entering Thursday.”
And we leave you with this ….one of the MANY photos that Marc Gatcomb posed for after the game with the large contingent of friends and family he had on hand.
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Great read. I still think Islanders should sell. Unless Detroit falls off a cliff I just don't see it. Plus we have 5 other teams to pass.