Islanders 6, Wild 3: Tavares, Strome lead the Isles to third win of the season

The Minnesota Wild opened the scoring on Zach Parise’s 300^th NHL goal, but the New York Islanders fought back for a 6-3 win at the Barclays Center. Anthony Beauvillier had his first multipoint game in the NHL, and John Tavares picked up an empty net goal for 2 goals and an assist on the night.

[Game Sum | Event Sum | Natural Stat Trick | HockeyViz]

Boring First, Strong Second:

After an uneventful first period, Zach Parise got his 300^th NHL goal, giving the Wild the lead. This served as the wake up call for the Isles, who struck back with three goals in quick succession. Josh Bailey had a great toe drag pass to Tavares for the first goal.

Blueline Bombers:

Coach Jack Capuano and the Islanders’ analytics department have been referenced multiple times for preaching improved offense from the defense. The coaching staff not only talked the talk, but the team certainly walked the walk tonight.

Calvin deHaan broke his 20 game scoreless streak 30 seconds after the Tavares goal. Shortly after that, Johnny Boychuk scored his second of the season and second goal in his past two games.

In the third period, Thomas Hickey scored his first of the season, assisted by Tavares, to give the Islanders the 5-2 lead.

There’s an unknown internal points goal that the team wants the defensemen to hit this season, and if this game is any indication, they’re off to a great start so far.

The Kids Are Alright:

The “New Kid Line,” featuring Anthony Beauvillier, Ryan Strome, and Alan Quine combined for 5 points on the night, with multipoint games from Strome (the game’s second star) and Beauvillier. Beauvillier now has 5 points in 5 games on the season, which definitely makes the upcoming decision on whether to keep him in the NHL or to send him back to Shawinigan in the QMJHL even tougher. Though it seems like the coaching staff may be sheltering that line, they’ve been one of the Isles’ best so far this season, and it’d be nice to see them continue to play together.

Old Friends Say Hello:

It wouldn’t be a game against the Minnesota Wild without revisiting the Nino Niederreiter trade. While it’s years in the past, Niederreiter reminded everyone of what could have been when he scored the Wild’s third goal of the game. It was inconsequential to the result, but certainly had many Isles fans groaning.

Good in the Room:

Andrew Ladd had the opportunity to take a shot at the empty net in the late stages of the third period, but passed the puck off to Tavares, who scored his second of the game to put the Islanders up 6-3. It was Ladd’s first point as an Islander, and for a player who has been so snakebitten, it showed the team-first mentality that the Isles brought him to Brooklyn for.

Up Next

The Islanders host the red-hot Montreal Canadiens at the Barclays Center. The Canadiens are currently on a 3 game win streak and play the Philadelphia Flyers tomorrow with a chance to go back to the top of the NHL standings. The Isles haven’t been great against Montreal in the past, but they’ll have a chance to ride the momentum from a big win against Minnesota into their next home game.