The Islanders overcame a 2-0 deficit, killed off a 4-on-3 penalty in overtime, and bounced back from a few setbacks to earn two points in a 5-4 shootout win over the Vegas Golden Knights. For a run of schedule that we thought might be disastrous, the Isles took two points from the Avalanche, Lightning (twice) […]
The Islanders overcame a 2-0 deficit, killed off a 4-on-3 penalty in overtime, and bounced back from a few setbacks to earn two points in a 5-4 shootout win over the Vegas Golden Knights.
For a run of schedule that we thought might be disastrous, the Isles took two points from the Avalanche, Lightning (twice) and Golden Knights to temporarily put themselves back in a regular playoff position in the ever-congested East, where both wild card holders have games in hand.
Ilya Sorokin (32 saves) stood on his head again, Bo Horvat scored two more goals to bring his season total to 19, and Matthew Schaefer continued his sterling rookie season with his 14th assist.
[NHL Gamecenter | Game Summary | Event Summary | Natural Stat Trick]
Vegas got the first goal midway through the first period on a perfectly placed rebound to Noah Hanifin, and then prodigal Toronto son Mitch Marner doubled their lead by the 16-minute mark. It felt a little unfair for the Isles to be down 2-0 based on the frenetic first period play — 25 total shots on goal between the two teams — but Bo Horvat eased fears by scoring a 4-on-4 goal with 27 seconds left in the period.
Only one of them got a point on the play, but it was a perfect example of how Mat Barzal and Schaefer’s mobility and chemistry opens space and creates opportunity. The two exchanged the puck down low and swapped places before Schaefer moved it to Pulock who set up Horvat for his one-timer from the top of the circle.
If that one gave the Isles a spiritual boost going into the intermission, it took a bit to cash in on the momentum. An early power play failed to open the period, but the fourth line — today constituting Casey Cizikas, Marc Gatcomb and Kyle MacLean doing smart, tenacious things — cashed in with a great shift resulting in a goal down low involving all three of them. (The nice exchange by MacLean almost makes up for the terribly timed high stick he took later in the game at the end of regulation.)
Ten minutes later on a swift counterattack, the Isles got a go-ahead goal from a rushing Simon Holmstrom late in the period. That sent them to the third period with a 3-2 lead that they looked like, well, not that they’d hold it but that they might still come out on top.
Both were true. They did not hold the lead, and in fact they lost a one-goal lead twice in the third period.
Ivan Barbashev tied it at 3-3 early in the third, but Bo Horvat put them on top again — on the high-slot one-timer of course — on a nicely worked power play at 10:15.
The next five minutes or so were played carefully but well, with the Islanders disrupting Vegas in the neutral zone often enough to avoid the hair-raising shell till time wound down.
But an Adam Pelech puck-over-the-glass penalty with 2:21 left created the painful drip to a hearbreaking equalizer. The Isles penalty kill hung in there for a long, long time — largely thanks to Sorokin — but Pavel Dorofeyev finally cashed in on his umpteenth chance. Sorokin had robbed him on several golden chances and the Isles actually killed off that penalty, but Mitch Marner made a great stop along the boards to prevent the clear, and when a Pelech shot block caromed just so to Dorofeyev, it was an easy lift to tie it with 14 seconds left.
Worse, with overtime inevitable, MacLean swung high at a puck and hit Bret Howden in the side of the helmet instead; Howden made the most of it, the refs convened to see if anyone saw it, and the Isles were going to be shorthanded for nearly two minutes of OT. Patrick Roy was livid on the bench because the refs overlooked Zach Whitecloud pulling Cizikas down on a mutually assured collision in the corner a half second before that.
Could’ve let it all go but “I’ve seen it given,” as the Brits say.
Anyway, the Isles were disciplined on the 4-on-3 OT PK, Vegas was curiously overly patient, and the Isles made it to the 3-on-3 stretch, though no one scored.
In the shootout, no one converted until Emil Heineman in extra-extra time for the clincher.
Errata
- Mitch Marner’s shootout try was all razzle dazzle, and it looked like it tested Sorokin’s groin uncomfortably, even though the puck just rolled away. Sorokin stayed prone for a bit, not sure if in discomfort or just resting.
- With J-G Pageau back — and taking up key PK and faceoff roles like he never left — Max Tsyplakov became the odd man out. Tonight at least, the fourth-line combo with MacLean was in sync. Barring injuries, my money’s on Anthony Duclair being the next one to come out for Max the Elder.
- With the OT and then some, Pulock logged 29:12, including 4:55 of PK.
- The Isles don’t win this one without some outstanding stops from Sorokin (even in giving up four), but their approach was exciting. They kept the pace up and were assertive in disrupting Vegas’ attack. It’s a helluva lot more fun than sitting in a shell and waiting for the Eichel-Marner barrage.
Up Next
The surprising Ducks visit Thursday — count on lots of goals — followed by the final meeting with the Lightning on Saturday.
Category: General Sports
