Music stand
Isles change tune, rally for win
Doug Weight was tired of rationalizing losses, indifferent to whether the scoreboard reflected what really happened.
“We can’t afford to do the old song and dance that we played well but we lost,” the Islanders interim coach said Monday morning. “We’ve got to find a way to win.”
Note for note, the song sounded the same Monday night.
Even after erasing a twogoal deficit, the Islanders were less than two minutes from suffering a third straight devastating one-goal loss — and their net was empty.
“It was pretty calm on the bench,” forward Ryan Strome said. “I think we’ve learned a lot in our struggles this year. We’re a team that went to the second round last year, so we’ve got some leadership, we’ve got some poise. There was never really any panic.” Only bedlam in Brooklyn. Just 32 seconds after William Nylander scored the apparent game-winning goal for Toronto with 2:01 left in the third, Andrew Ladd tied the score, setting the stage for Brock Nelson’s goal at 2:42 of overtime that ended the Islanders’ two-game slide and sealed a 6-5 win over the Maple Leafs at Barclays Center.
“There’s a lot of belief in the bench right now,” Weight said. “They feel good about themselves. When you find ways to win games like this, it’s crucial moving forward. ... We’re a different team than the beginning of the year. We are. But it’s still gonna be brought by people and it’s still gonna be in their minds at times and I’m trying to erase that, but certainly every one of these is gonna help that tremendously. It’s gonna build belief.”
Facing another team fighting for a playoff spot, the Islanders (23-18-10) came out strong, with Strome continuing his season-best stretch by scoring just 1:23 into the game. Strome, who would later add an assist, has recorded at least one point in four straight games, posting two goals and four assists.
“We talked about him being engaging and really cognizant defensively,” Weight said. “I want to see some swagger, I want to see some deceptiveness, some nice plays.”
For the third straight game, the Islanders surrendered five goals after allowing no more than two goals in six of the previous seven. Toronto (24-17-10) scored with five different rookies — Nikita Soshnikov, Auston Matthews, Mitchell Marner, Zach Hyman and Nylander.
Nelson’s 12th goal of the season — with 6:12 left in the second period — cut Toronto’s lead to 4-3, and Josh Bailey (two assists) emerged in front of the net with 6:30 left in the third to tie the score, but when Nylander scored, the building fell silent.
The song sounded the same. Finally, the steps changed.
“It’s a good sign for this room and shows the character in this room,” Ladd said. “Nothing’s changing for us. Every game we’re in the next month seems like the biggest game of the year, so the beat goes on.”