The New York Islanders won all four of their games this week. They picked up road wins over the Flyers and Blue Jackets and home wins over the Blackhawks and Predators. The Islanders have a 35-27-15 record with 85 total points and currently sit in third place in the Metro. 

Blown Lead in Final Seconds Salvaged by an Overtime Win

Even though they coughed up a free point, the Islanders picked up an important 3-2 overtime win over the Philadelphia Flyers. Noah Cates opened the scoring in the first with a quick wrister to beat Semyon Varlamov. However, the Islanders responded with two goals in a minute later in the period, scored by Matt Martin and Bo Horvat, respectively. This was enough for John Tortorella to pull Samuel Ersson and bring in the debuting Ivan Fedotov to start the second period. 

Travis Sanheim got the Flyers off to a fast start in the second, scoring the game-tying goal just 43 seconds in. What followed was the Islanders best period of play, as they dominated in regards to shots on goal. Fedotov was effective in limiting the damage, as this onslaught only resulted in one Islanders goal. 

This goal was scored by Anders Lee with a tip-in. Now with a 3-2 lead, the Islanders were within seconds of clinching a regulation win. But this game wasn’t over yet, as Morgan Frost sent the game to overtime with a rebound goal with just 10 seconds remaining in regulation. In overtime, the Islanders ensured that the Flyers wouldn’t get the extra point over them. Kyle Palmieri found Brock Nelson with a back pass that Nelson deposited into the back of the net for the game-winner.

Third Period Rally Leads to Win Over Blackhawks

The Islanders won the second game of a back-to-back for the first time this season in a 2-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. Despite the eventual win, the early stages of this game were looking very bleak for the Islanders. In the first period, Connor Bedard set up Jason Dickinson with a perfect two-on-one pass to take the early lead. The Blackhawks held onto this lead throughout the first two periods of the game. The Islanders held the advantage in shots on goal, but had no answers for Petr Mrazek until the third period.

It was then that they were given their first power play chance of the game in what was a pivotal moment to the eventual outcome. Horvat took full advantage of the man advantage, burying a shot from the right circle to tie the game. Later in the period, Simon Holmstrom came in clutch with the game-winning goal that came off of a scramble for a loose puck in front of the Blackhawks’ net. The team held on to the one-goal lead this time, with Ilya Sorokin making 18 saves en route to the regulation win.  

Dobson’s Third Period Goal Secures Win Over the Blue Jackets

The Islanders kept their momentum rolling with a 4-2 road win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday. This game was highlighted by a four-goal, back-and-forth first period of play. The scoring started with a power play goal off of a deflection by Pierre Engvall. Just under two minutes later, the Blue Jackets answered with a power play goal of their own, scored by Dmitri Voronkov. The Islanders took the lead back when the reunited duo of Mat Barzal and Horvat got a two-on-one chance that Horvat capitalized on. 

Yet again, the Blue Jackets had a response, as Kirill Marchenko would score the tying goal off the back of Sorokin’s mask. This 2-2 tie lasted up until the opening minutes of the third period. Noah Dobson got a lot of space and made no mistake in scoring what would be the game-winning goal. The Islanders team was again effective at maintaining a one-goal lead, especially with the Blue Jackets emptying their net with three minutes to play. Palmieri came up with an empty net goal to finalize the team’s third straight win. 

Varlamov’s Shutout Leads to First Win Over Predators in 7 Years

The Islanders won their fourth straight game by way of a 2-0 home win over the Predators. This game featured Predators GM Barry Trotz’s first appearance at UBS Arena since he departed as head coach of the team two seasons ago. He was greeted with a tribute video and a massive ovation from the home crowd. 

The game itself was low-scoring, with Varlamov and Kevin Lankinen having efficient outings for their clubs. For the second straight game, Dobson was the difference-maker for the Islanders. He scored the game’s only 5v5 goal in the second period from almost the same spot he scored from on Thursday. This also marked the third straight game the Islanders were able to protect a one-goal lead in the third. They were backed by Varlamov’s best start of the season, in which he made a 41-save shutout. Palmieri again picked up an empty net goal to ensure the Islanders win. This also marked the first time the Islanders defeated the Predators since October of 2017. 

3 Stars of the Week

1. Mat Barzal (5 assists, one point or more in every game this week)

2. Noah Dobson (2 GWGs)

3. Bo Horvat (3 goals)

Featured image courtesy of NHL.com

Check out our NHL page for more updates

You can like The Game Haus on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for more sports and esports articles from great TGH writers like Justin!

• SEO Powered Content & PR Distribution. Get Amplified Today.
• PlatoData.Network Vertical Generative Ai. Empower Yourself. Access Here.
• PlatoAiStream. Web3 Intelligence. Knowledge Amplified. Access Here.
• PlatoESG. Carbon, CleanTech, Energy, Environment, Solar, Waste Management. Access Here.
• PlatoHealth. Biotech and Clinical Trials Intelligence. Access Here.
• Source: https://thegamehaus.com/sports/new-york-islanders-weekly-recap-week-24/2024/04/08/