Turning aside 31 shots and five shootout attempts, Rick DiPietro earned his first win in the NHL since Dec. 26, 2008. Normally I air-quote the "win" achieved by shootout/breakaway drill, but tonight DiPietro made no mistakes, and in the shootout he made the timely saves whenever his team was in danger of losing.
Throughout the night, the Islanders forwards did a great job coming back, supporting the defense, so DiPietro never had to make jaw-dropping, highlight reels like the kind the Islanders forced out of Ryan Miller. For the second game in a row, the Islanders asserted themselves against an elite team for most of 60 minutes. They have four standings points to show for it.
While the Isles didn't need the franchise goalie to save them, tonight definitely altered the DiPietro Comeback equation. I'm not totally sure how to process it, honestly.