Good Morning, Islanders Country.
I didn’t think I’d see it again.
I couldn’t imagine another morning when I woke up this season with the Islanders in a playoff spot. Yet, I just checked again, and there they were, this maddening team, somehow finding their way back into a Wild Card spot with six games left to go in the regular season.
The Isles were the dominant team last night by a long shot. By any measure other than the score, this game shouldn’t have been close. They finished the game with a season-high 5.84 expected goals and a season-high 24 high-danger chances (per Natural Stat Trick). It was refreshing to see them dictate the play and pace of the game for 60 minutes, but it was absolutely terrifying to know the game was still in the balance entering the third period.
To their credit, the Islanders didn’t get frustrated and remained even-keeled to start the third period. Noah Dobson scored the go-ahead goal they had to have, and Kyle Palmieri even scored an empty netter, only their third of the season, to secure the win and make the final 38 seconds uneventful for a change.
They’ve now won three straight and four of five overall and are the team the Red Wings, Caps, and Pens are looking up at while being tied in points with the Philadelphia Flyers for third place in the Metro. Crazy, right?
Based on points percentage, they’re tied with Philly, while Detroit and Washington have a game-in-hand. The Isles could be back out of the playoffswhen we wake up tomorrow if the Red Wings get a point against the New York Rangers. Let’s Go Rangers!, I guess.
They took care of business against two of the worst teams in the league, but next up is the Nashville Predators, arguably the best team in the league over the last two months and a team the Islanders seem to never beat. This will be followed by the first game against the Rangers at UBS Arena since December 2022.
It’s taken hard work, combined with some luck and help, to get the Isles back in playoff position. It will take their best hockey of the season to keep them there.
Let’s dive in.
🏒 IN SHORT: Noah Dobson scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period as the New York Islanders defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night at Nationwide Arena. Pierre Engvall and Bo Horvat had first-period goals for the Isles, who have won three straight and four of their last five. Ilya Sorokin made 25 saves for his second straight win and Kyle Palmieri added an empty net goal. Kirill Marchenko had a goal and an assist, and Dmitri Voronkov also scored for Columbus, which had won its last two. Daniil Tarasov stopped 13 shots before leaving the game and was replaced by Jet Greaves, who made 24 saves.
KEY MOMENT(s):
🔷 Bo Horvat scored for the third straight game, one-timing a gorgeous backhanded saucer pass from Mathew Barzal to give the Isles a 2-1 lead.
🔻 Kiril Marchenko tied it 2-2 at 17:22 when he flipped the puck perfectly off the mask of Ilya Sorokin, who was guarding the post, from behind the goal line.
🔶 Noah Dobson scored his first goal since Mar. 7 and the eventual game-winner at 3:21 of the third to give the Islanders a 3-2 lead. The defenseman snapped a shot over the right blocker of Greaves off Barzal’s 55th assist of the season.
3 REACTIONS
❶ BIG GOAL” “Team effort was really good," Islanders coach Patrick Roy said. "It was a big goal by Noah so I was happy to see him scoring that goal but more than that the way he was playing defensively. He had a strong game defensively.”
❷ FINDING WAYS: “We know each game is a different challenge, and we’ve got to find ways to win each night," Dobson said. "The last couple of games tied games going into the third and we found ways. Definitely a positive.”
❸ BRINGING THE BEST: "I think these games, especially with just what's on the line, it's bringing the best of everyone," Barzal said after the win. "We stick together and we have guys in here that are willing to play in those big moments."
GAME IMPACT SCORE
⏭ NEXT UP: The Islanders are back at UBS Arena on Saturday night to take on the Nashville Predators. Puck drops at 7:30 PM EDT.
📊 STANDINGS:
📰 NEWS: Forward Johnny Gaudreau did not dress due to illness for Columbus last night. The Blue Jackets allowed the first goal of the game of the game for the first time in eights when Pierre Engvall scored on the power play in the first period, tipping Ryan Pulock’s shot while standing in front of the net. It was the second consecutive game the Isles have scored a power-play goal and they are now 2-of-5 over their last two games. A good sign moving forward.
"That was a nice tip by Pierre in the front of the net on that first one," Roy said. "I thought we generated well with those chances and moved the puck fairly well. Both units, I mean Casey and Pageau did a really good job hustling and hunting for those pucks, same thing with Nelson. I was pleased the way we played on the power-play."
Will he stay or go?
Whether it’s a negotiating technique or not, the rumor from several weeks ago re-emerged on Thursday that Ruslan Iskhakov was potentially leaving North America to play in the KHL season as he’s been unable to break into the NHL despite putting up solid numbers in the AHL the last two seasons.
Beat reporter Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News was able to connect with Iskhakov’s agent, Dan Milstein, on Thursday in search of some clarity. “Ruslan is playing to earn an opportunity to play in the NHL,” Milstein said.”All contract and league discussions won’t take place until the summer.”
Iskhakov, the Islanders' 2018 second-round pick, is a two-time AHL All-Star for Bridgeport and has dazzled us with viral shootout goals. CSKA Moscow owned his KHL rights since he graduated from their academy.
Sending Our Best
On Thursday afternoon, we learned that Mr. Borelli, the owner of Borrelli's Restaurant on Hempstead Turnpike and father of Barstool Sports and Isles diehard Frank Borrelli, had open heart surgery earlier this week. He’s recovering and working his way back, and an Isles win could only help with that. The team posted this photo of him and his son after the victory on social media.
📚 SOUND SMART: Per Eric Hornick in The Skinny, the Isles had 41 shots for the first time since the outdoor game (February 18th vs. the Rangers at Met Life) and finished with 88 attempts, matching their 2nd-highest total of the season. The Blue Jackets and Canadiens are the only teams left on the Islanders’ schedule with records below NHL-.500, and they have three games against projected playoff teams — Nashville at home and a pair of games against the Rangers.
🎥 ISLES REWIND: On Apr. 5, 2016, behind 29 saves from Christopher Gibson in his first career NHL start, the Islanders rallied from two goals down in the third period and beat the Washington Capitals 4-3 in overtime to clinch a playoff berth. Trailing 3-1 entering the third, Kyle Okposo and Anders Lee scored 1:45 apart to tie it, and defenseman Thomas Hickey returned from a skate-cut scare to score the game-winner 2:13 into overtime.
🎧 The Red Line: We’re So Back In the latest episode of “The Red Line,” co-host Phil Farber (@PhilzFacts) and David Tuchman (@TuckOnSports) are lowering the white flag, at least for now, after three wins in their last four games have the Islanders one point out of a playoff spot heading into tonight’s game in Columbus.
🔗 Noah Dobson’s production dip due to Islanders health by Ethan Sears, New York Post “Instead of breaking the club record for assists by a defenseman, Dobson will likely have to settle for merely being the first to break 60 since Denis Potvin — he came into Thursday’s game against Columbus with 58. Instead of being in the mix for the league lead in ice time, he was down in seventh, finally dipping below 25 minutes a game.”
🔗 Coming Back To UBS Arena & All My Pals Was A Penultimate Thrill Times 100 by Stan Fischer, The Hockey News “The minute I walked through the doors of UBS Arena on Tuesday night, I was reminded of my childhood in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and a tune I loved then -- and still do now. "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To." And so it was.”
And we leave you with this ….Islanders Children’s Foundation teams up with Operation Shower and Ryan Tax to throw a baby shower for 25 military families.
Thanks for reading! Follow us on Twitter for regular updates until the next newsletter.
And please check out our newsletters about the Knicks and Mets, too.