Islanders News: Still lots of ground to make up, but good work

8 months ago  /  Lighthouse Hockey

FINALLY. | Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images


On March 1, the Islanders are still alive. An ENG for ENGvall. The New York Islanders pulled out a gutsy regulation win over the Detroit Red Wings, who entered the game on six-game winning streak, just as the calendar flipped to March. Crunch time in the NHL.
The Isles lead 2-0 and 3-2 and lost both leads, the latter in the third period. But the big boys on the new top line stepped up in a big way. Brock Nelson scored two of the first three Islanders goals, and Mathew Barzal pulled us back from the ledge with a clever flick of the puck from behind the goal line, banking it off Alex Lyon and in. Pierre Engvall—who has played some of his best hockey of the season on the “Swedish Connection” new third line with Casey Cizikas and Simon Holmstrom—capped off a strong effort with the Islanders’ first empty-net goal of the season.
That win kept the Isles’ playoff dream alive, along with some help from the out-of-town scoreboard. They sit six points back of the second wild card Tampa Bay Lightning with three games in hand; theoretically, if the Islanders won those three games, they tie Tampa. They’re also five points behind the Philadelphia Flyers for third in the Metro with one game in hand. There are also some big head-to-head games coming up over the final quarter.
If the Islanders can get two points tomorrow night hosting the Boston Bruins, we may be back in business.
Islanders News
About last night:

Despite the lost leads, this was one of the Isles’ best efforts of the season. [LHH]
They went 2-0 on this little road trip. Barzal acknowledged how big a game it was and that they “knew it, too.” [Newsday]
The new top line is clicking. The special teams were good, holding Detroit’s vaunted power play without a goal. [3 Takeaways] Maybe that gives the newer-look penalty kill a bit more confidence. [Newsday]
Making up some ground on the teams in front of them—the playoff chase remains ongoing. [NY Post] But this win was “vital.” [THN]
“The Isles are 18-3-9 when they score the opening goal, including 5-0-0 under Patrick Roy.” That ought to be a confidence boost. [NYI Skinny]
No more streak for the Wings and their whiny fans. [NHL] I have sympathy only for the young kids who only know seven years without playoffs. Anyone older than that, who made up the majority of the bellyaching last night, saw their team shine and have success I couldn’t even imagine, so enjoy the shade for a bit.

Onward:
Ilya Sorokin had a great game last night and another one Monday night in Dallas. He knows his performance hasn’t been as good as last year—although last year was an all-world performance that’s tough to repeat—but he’s been focusing on his “small details.” [NY Post]


These two. pic.twitter.com/g9ynRyBKEA— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) March 1, 2024





If the Islanders want to keep this push going, they need to be “lights out” in their remaining 11 home games. [THN]
Dom kind of did this yesterday, but on This Leap Day in Isles History, Butch Goring’s no. 91 rose to the rafters (2020).
Matt Martin, who grew up in Windsor, Ontario, right across the Detroit River from the city of Detroit and whose family are thus huge Red Wings fans, grew up in the ‘90s rooting for the Colorado Avalanche and Patrick Roy, who had a huge rivalry with the Wings. But Martin hasn’t told his new coach yet. [Newsday]
Speaking of Roy, Andrew Gross and Neil Best dove into why so few goalies become NHL head coaches. [Newsday]
The Isles and UBS Arena partnered with Kingston Grill for a pop-up last Saturday afternoon. Let me tell you, that jerk chicken kicked ass. [Islanders]

Elsewhere
Last night’s NHL scores include the Buffalo Sabres doing us a favor by preventing the Lightning from getting two points, just one, and the Seattle Kraken really doing us a solid by shutting out the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Bit of a bombshell yesterday from Elliotte Friedman: It turns out that Elias Pettersson came back to the negotiating table after the Vancouver Canucks informed him that they had gotten pretty far down the road in trade talks with the Carolina Hurricanes. Thank god that didn’t pan out. As much fun as it is to watch Vancouver melt down, I do not want him in this division. [Sportsnet]
He and Jeff Marek dive into it more on this morning’s 32 Thoughts Podcast, according to the episode description. [Sportsnet]
Late last night, the Toronto Maple Leafs acquired Ilya Lyubushkin from the Anaheim Ducks by way of the Carolina Hurricanes. [NHL]
Old friend and pending UFA Anthony Beauvillier has been skating alongside Connor Bedard ahead of the trade deadline. Showcase! [THN]
The deadline is a week away; here’s the latest buzz on Noah Hanifin and Jake Guentzel, among others. [ESPN]
The ever-injured Josh Norris will miss an “extended period” for the Ottawa Senators. [ESPN]
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