Islanders Back-to-Back News: A huge regulation win, and right back at it

Whew, that was a big win. I didn’t get a chance to watch it in full because I am away with friends, but I had the final ten minutes playing on my phone and plan to watch the whole recording when I get home. I have seen the highlights, though, and saw all the tweets.

As I understand it, the New York Islanders looked as though they were wilting in their newest biggest game of the season, but then they stormed back with some fortunate goals and strong third-period play. A big win in regulation over the Pittsburgh Penguins, who might still be out of reach with their games in hand but who are nonetheless in the chase.

With the win, the Islanders are back in a playoff spot, one point ahead of the idle Washington Capitals, who have a game in hand and play outdoors tonight against the Carolina Hurricanes. As for the Islanders, they play again tonight, making a quick trip up to the Boston Bruins for a 5:00 p.m. start.

FIGs go here. Still no J-G Pageau, probably, and possibly no Josh Bailey. Happy birthday, Rosco.

Islanders News

About last night:

• For 40 minutes, it was like “hey guys, you know this one is important, right?” And then they were like “yeah, we know, idiot.” [LHH]
• When you need a big game, you call Brock Nelson, now up to a 12-game point streak with his two goals. [3 Takeaways] It’s the longest point streak in ten years for the Islanders. [NYI Skinny]
• How cool is it that Zach Parise got the winner in game no. 1,200? [NHL | amNY] What a rally. [Newsday]
• And Anders Lee, who knew he needed to get going, scored twice as well, including a wild goal off Casey DeSmith’s belly. [Newsday]
• That was a season-saving comeback and hopefully one that spurs on some heat. [The Athletic]

Moving on:

• Kyle Palmieri has been a huge boon since he got back, and it looks like it has inspired his linemates. [Newsday]
• A preview of tonight’s game. [Islanders] The Bruins will have back Jake DeBrusk, who has turned into a decent third wheel riding with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand. [NHL]
• Last night was Billy Smith Legends Night, so the Islanders shared their stories of “Battlin’ Billy.” Coach Lane Lambert scored a goal on him once, but also got the paddle. [Islanders]
• The Islanders sent Otto Koivula back to Bridgeport. [Islanders]

Elsewhere

Last night’s NHL scores include the Rangers coming back to beat the Oilers in a shootout and the Senators losing to the Blackhawks in overtime.

• The Toronto Maple Leafs made their big move, acquiring Ryan O’Reilly and Noel Acciari from the St. Louis Blues for a haul, using the Minnesota Wild as a third-team-salary-broker. [NHL]
• Who’s still out there? Patrick Kane and Erik Karlsson highlight the list. It’s nice having gotten one of the big fish already and being out of the rat race. [NHL]
• Timo Meier, too, and he’s ready for it. [NHL]
• The Capitals’ outdoor game is a visit to Carter-Finley Stadium at NC State, as the Carolina Hurricanes host a Stadium Series game. The Winter Classic gets all they hype, but the Stadium Series games are more of a free-for-all. A rundown of the Stadium Series history, including the Islanders. [ESPN]
• Ukraine’s peewee team made it to the Quebec tournament, but the run sadly ended there. [AP-ESPN]
• Allan Walsh returned to the news with a tweet about the Calgary Flames’ misery; his only client there is a struggling Jonathan Huberdeau. But Huberdeau says he didn’t sign off on the tweet. [NHL]