A sluggish first period where the Islanders gave up two goals in an afternoon game? I wouldn’t blame you if you turned your TV off after Matthew Tkachuk put the puck in the toy department with a between-the-legs shot.
But… you would have missed a five-goal comeback win, led by Brayden Schenn’s three points and Matthew Schaefer’s record-tying two assists. Schaefer now has 19 points in his last 18 games, and has a few more games to claim the Islanders record for himself and chase the NHL rookie defenseman
goal record, too.
The Islanders put up 40 shots on Daniil Tarasov, and Ilya Sorokin turned away 19 of 21 shots in another solid win for him as he made some big saves to help the Islanders keep their second period momentum, especially.
The fourth line was super involved as well, with Marc Gatcomb’s and Casey Cizikas’ goals bookending the second period comeback. It was nice to see a big statement win as the playoff race continues be volatile; the Islanders are now (temporarily, at least) in second place in the Metro Division. The other afternoon game with Eastern Conference playoff implications went the Islanders’ way as well, with Tampa beating Ottawa in regulation.
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First Period
Kyle MacLean had a great chance in front after a loose puck came to him right in front of the net, but Mike Benning blocked the shot.
Ilya Sorokin made a big save on Carter Verhaege, and Emil Heineman rang the bar on a shot from the crease.
Matthew Tkachuk left the zone early and got behind the defense, taking advantage of an Adam Boqvist turnover to make it 1-0 Panthers.
Then, Matthew Schaefer stopped him from getting a second after he beat Sorokin, but Ondrej Palat pushed it right into Tkachuk’s path, and he went between his legs to make it 2-0.
Casey Cizikas appeared to get one back for the Islanders, but the whistle blew before he could push the loose puck into the net.
With a few minutes left in the period, the Islanders then headed to the power play after MacLean was high sticked by Nolan Foote, but the Panthers had the best look, with Sorokin needing to stop Eetu Luostarinen’s shorthanded chance.
Second Period
Daniil Tarasov stopped a Brayden Schenn chance in front, and Ondrej Palat drew a penalty, though nothing good from the Islanders came out of it.
Shortly after the PP expired, Sorokin had to make a big stop on Noah Gregor right in front.
But then, Marc Gatcomb took a seemingly harmless shot that trickled past Tarasov to cut the Panthers’ lead in half.
Mat Barzal set up Boqvist, whose shot left a rebound off Tarasov’s glove, and then Schenn couldn’t put that rebound home.
Then, Matthew Schaefer made a great stretch pass to Cal Ritchie, who passed it off to Brayden Schenn to make it 2-2.
Gustav Forsling went to the box for tripping Barzal, and Schaefer set up Simon Holmström to make it 3-2 on the power play. That was Schaefer’s second assist of the game, which gave him 56 points on the season, tying him with Stefan Persson for franchise rookie scoring lead for a defenseman.
Sorokin stopped a Mackie Samoskevich breakaway with some help from Adam Pelech, and then the Islanders had some dangerous chances, before Anders Lee set up Emil Heineman, who ripped it past Tarasov to make it 4-2. Schenn had the secondary assist on that goal, picking up his first 3-point game as an Islander.
A little under a minute later, Cizikas made it 5-2, capping off the Isles’ comeback surge in the second period.
Third Period
Pelech was still in the room to start the third, apparently due to a skate issue that needed to be fixed, but he came back about midway through the third.
Foote hit the post after beating Sorokin early in the third, and Sorokin made another save on Forsling, but the Islanders were largely in control for the third.
Tarasov was pulled with a little over 5 minutes left, and Carson Soucy knocked Luostarinen down, giving the Panthers a power play. Samoskevich put it off the crossbar, and Ekblad’s shot was saved by Sorokin. Ekblad also hit the crossbar again as the power play expired.
The Isles were under some pressure with the Panthers net empty, but held on to the 5-2 lead, claiming a big two points in the playoff race.
Up Next
Next, the Islanders will host the Pittsburgh Penguins at UBS Arena. Games against the Penguins always have intensity, but given the playoff race stakes, this one could be one of the biggest games of the season as a potential first-round matchup preview.
