The Islanders have ridden a wave of mediocrity through the first quarter of the season. The Islanders remain their own worst enemy. Whether it's blown leads, poor special teams, or an inability to finish, the boys in blue and orange continue to find ways to beat themselves when wins are in reach. But could there be some hope? Or was their 3-0 triumph over the Sabres nothing more than a mirage? Ethan Sears joins Seany and Stefen to figure it all out!
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Good Morning, Islanders Country.
After Black Friday’s dark third period in DC, I posted on X that the Islanders are a really good hockey team, other than special teams, the third period, overtime, and the shootout. It was sarcastic, but it was also true.
On Saturday night, they showed what hockey life could be like if they modestly fixed the areas where they are most deficient. The Isles scored a power-play goal for the ninth game this season. They are 7-1-1 in those games. They also killed key penalties and scored an empty net goal when playing 5-on-6.
All of that was great, but it will almost always take someone to make a big play at the right time to seal a victory or avoid anxious moments late in the game.
It was Ilya Sorokin this time. The Isles goaltender recorded his 19th career shutout (and first in 58 games) by stopping Dylan Cozens’s short-handed one-timer early in the third period. It goes in, and all the “here we go again” doubts and vibes were sure to follow. That save prevented it from happening.
“That huge save at the start of the third period, I thought that was the key of the game," Patrick Roy said. “That was a big save for us. It brought a lot of energy, set the tone for the period, and I thought from there, we were really solid.”
The Isles have known what needs to be done for a while. They have given themselves countless opportunities to face things head-on and slowly build their confidence. Saturday was a step in the right direction, but only a small one.
