Isles get needed win before break
Facing the Rangers for the third time in eight days, the Islanders finally had some luck on their side.
It had been some time since the Islanders saw bounces go their way and frustrations were beginning to culminate. But the Islanders snapped a three-game losing skid with a rejuvenating 4-2 win at the Garden on Tuesday, avoiding a third loss to their rivals and taking a much-needed win into the All-Star break.
“That’s hockey,” Islanders captain Anders Lee said. “You’re going to have stretches where it goes your way and stretches where it doesn’t.”
It was an unstoppable fivepoint performance from the Artemi Panarin, the Rangers’ prized offseason addition, that buried the Islanders 6-2 in the team’s first meeting Jan. 13. And then it was an inopportune penalty on Derick Brassard that led to Chris Kreider’s goal in the final 30 seconds to steal a 3-2 win three days later.
This time around, the hockey gods were looking down on the Islanders, who had likely suffered enough after blowing a 4-1 lead against the Capitals on Saturday and then falling in an eight-round shootout to the Hurricanes the next night.
“I’m ecstatic with the two points,” Islanders coach Barry Trotz said. “We’re exhausted, we had to battle through it. It was huge for our psyche [going] in the break. We’ve had so many games in a short period of time and we’re mentally and physically fatigued. The break is going to do us good.”
Panarin, who has combined for six points (two goals, four assists) in two games against the Islanders this season, was held out of the Rangers lineup with an upper-body injury. The Islanders power play, which had been in a rut for a handful of games, broke through with two goals. And the one goal the Rangers could’ve built off of at 17:58 of the second period was nullified after the Islanders challenged for offside.
“Playing these guys, obviously huge rivals for us, big division opponent, and for them to take two from us last week, we felt tonight was a good opportunity to bounce back and get one and we did that,” said Josh Bailey, who registered three points (one goal, two assists) in the win.
The luck disappeared in the third period as the Rangers netted back-to-back power-play goals from Pavel Buchnevich and Chris Kreider after Scott Mayfield was assessed a double minor for spearing with . Then, as the Islanders began to scramble, the refs called them for a delay of game — a power play they were able to survive.
Goaltender Thomas Greiss made 11 of his 40 saves in the final 20 minutes to secure the victory. The Islanders will now have over 10 days until their next game and over a month until they see the Rangers again.
“We’ve had a lot to say [about playing the Rangers] in our room,” Lee said. “It’s going out and executing, it’s going out and playing the right way — our way.”