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The New York Islanders slowly but surely continue to climb back up the Metropolitan Division standings, picking up a 3-2 overtime win against the Edmonton Oilers today.
The Islanders did a great job limiting the Oilers’ high-powered offense early on, allowing just six shots in the first period. Then with just over three minutes to go in the frame, the Islanders struck first on a power play, as Anders Lee batted in a loose puck in front. It was a really strong opening period, with the Islanders leading 1-0 after 20 minutes.
The Oilers wasted no time tying the game in the second period, as Leon Draisaitl banked a shot in off Matt Martin’s skate to tie the game. Edmonton built a bit of momentum after that and controlled some of the play in the second period. Then late in the frame, a puck popped out to Darnell Nurse after a scramble in front and he gave the Oilers a 2-1 lead, heading into the second intermission.
The Islanders tied the game early in the third period, however, as a loose puck got to Anthony Beauvillier, who tapped it into the open net. They put together an excellent period, completely limiting chances for the Oilers and outshooting Edmonton by a massive 14-2 margin in the frame. However, they weren’t able to take the lead by the end of regulation and the game went to overtime.
In the extra frame, after some time spent in each zone that didn’t amount to much, Noah Dobson entered the Oilers’ end and snapped a shot past Mikko Koskinen to give the Islanders the win.
Overall, this was a really strong performance for the Islanders. For most of the game, New York completely shut down Edmonton’s offense and generated some good chances.
Noah Dobson continues to get better and better. He now has five goals and 10 points in his last 10 games and has proven capable of taking on a larger role. Given that offense from the Islanders’ blue line was severely lacking in the early part of the season, Dobson’s contributions have been hugely important.
New York is now 5-2-1 over their last eight games and have earned nine of a possible 10 points through their last five games at UBS Arena. Again, there's still a lot of ground to make up but things are coming along.
They’ll now have another long break, with their next game scheduled for January 13 against the New Jersey Devils, which will be the first game of a five-game homestand.
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