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The New York Islanders rebounded to beat the Florida Panthers in the second half of their back-to-back set last night, following a 5-3 loss against the New York Rangers on Thursday.
The game against the Rangers was certainly a less-than-stellar outing. The Islanders had gotten up midway through the first frame off a bit of a lucky bounce on a goal from Anders Lee, but ended up tied off a power play goal from Artemi Panarin, in a period where they only managed five shots. An eventful first half of the second period followed, as Mathew Barzal managed to put the Islanders back up on a breakaway. However, it didn’t take long for the Rangers to respond, as Julien Gauthier got in alone and went to the backhand to beat Sorokin, tying things once again. The Islanders did reinstate only a few minutes later though, with Alexander Romanov’s point shot just getting through a screen and finding its way in, and while the Rangers had some great chances to tie it later on, some big saves from Sorokin kept the Islanders ahead.
The Rangers evened the game only three minutes into the third though, with Julien Gauthier’s long-range shot going in off Barclay Goodrow. After that, the Islanders continued to struggle to get a ton going, managing just five shots in the frame. Then late in the third, Kaapo Kakko ended up burying a pass from K’Andre Miller, putting the Rangers ahead late. Vincent Trocheck scored an empty netter after that, as the Rangers won 5-3.
Despite the close score, the Islanders didn’t get a ton going, being outshot 34-18. They couldn’t manage to stay out of the box either, which didn’t help, and it was an underwhelming game against a team they could’ve really used a win against for positioning within the division.
Against the Panthers last night though, it was an entirely different story. The Islanders were without Casey Cizikas, so Aatu Raty made his NHL debut, which was obviously exciting to see. Parker Wotherspoon also made his debut, playing in place of Robin Salo.
Florida ended up suffering a huge blow early, with Aaron Ekblad leaving the game after a scrum and not returning. Then the Islanders still found themselves down about eight minutes into the opening period though, as Zach Parise lost the puck on an exit and after it stayed in, Matthew Tkachuk buried a rebound in-close. We saw a fight between Matt Martin and Givani Smith shortly afterwards, and the Islanders did put together a really strong period, outshooting the Panthers and generating some quality chances. Simon Holmstrom and Jean-Gabriel Pageau had a great opportunity to tie it near the end of the frame, but Pageau ended up putting the puck over the net and despite a lot of power play time in the frame, the Islanders remained down through 20 minutes.
New York did manage to tie the game early in the second period, as Anthony Beauvillier beat Sergei Bobrovsky with a well-placed shot (with a scrum ensuing afterwards). The Islanders then had a ton of momentum in the back half of the frame, putting a lot of pressure on the Panthers and generating a ton of chances to take the lead. That said, Brock Nelson ended up catching a puck in the head off a clearing pass from Alexander Romanov, which sent him to the dressing room. He didn’t return, so it’s certainly concerning.
Finally though, with under a minute to go in the period, the Islanders managed to take the lead with Ryan Pulock just putting a shot to the front of the net, as it went in off Zach Parise. The frame didn’t end quite as positively as expected though, as Simon Holmstrom was involved in a scary knee-on-knee collision with Sam Bennett after the goal, and he had to be helped off the ice.
After dominating much of the first 40 minutes, the Islanders managed to extend the lead in the third, with Aatu Raty scoring his first NHL goal in his first game, making a nice move to get to the front of the net, before getting a puck through Bobrovsky. It was a great moment, especially considering the excitement that already came with his first game. Then only a minute later, Zach Parise was able to make it a three-goal game, coming in on a rush and burying his second goal of the game (and 11th of the season). Florida ended up pulling the goalie early and Anthony Beauvillier also buried his second of the game as a result, with New York cruising to the 5-1 win.
It’s a big win for the Islanders, heading into the break after a pretty dominant performance.
Obviously, Raty’s debut was probably the headline of the game, and it’s probably a big confidence-builder for the player as well. As someone who’s looked at as a key piece for the future, some early success is great.
That said, the bigger takeaway may be how good of a game the Islanders were able to put together. It was a well-rounded win, completely outplaying Florida for most of the game and this time, the Islanders were getting the power plays, not giving them up (even if they couldn’t convert).
There are certainly concerns with Brock Nelson and Simon Holmstrom, and hopefully neither is out for any extended period. The break comes at a good time for New York, given just how many injuries they’re dealing with at the moment.
In general as well, it’s been a tough stretch for the Islanders lately. They’ve won just four of their last 12 games, and have fallen out of a wildcard spot. Hopefully with a bit of time off, they’re fresh for next week and can start building a bit of momentum.
Merry Christmas to all those who celebrate - the next article will come on Boxing Day, for an Islanders’ World Juniors preview.
OTHER ARTICLES FROM DECEMBER
Islanders’ four-game winning streak snapped in rematch against Flyers
Islanders fire 49 shots on goal but fall short against Predators
Islanders score three in second period, earn shutout win over Blackhawks
Islanders’ comeback falls short in 7-4 loss to Blues
Islanders hold off Devils for 6-4 win
Islanders shut out by Hurricanes in second half of back-to-back
Islanders' struggles continue after dropping first two games of road trip
Simon Holmstrom scores first NHL goal, Islanders earn key win in Vegas
Islanders come up short against Avalanche, fall 1-0 in shootout 
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