Lambert: Islanders deserve a ‘break’

Lane Lambert wants the Islanders to make the NHL’s holiday break as much of a, er, break as possible.

“I just think for [the players] it’s shut their mind out of the game,” Lambert said before the Islanders beat the Hurricanes 5-4 on Saturday. “But you gotta do something. Some form of physical activity over the course of the next three days. I know they will, whether it be a bike ride or whatever it may be.”

At 16-8-9, the Islanders took sole possession of second place in the Metropolitan Division by beating Carolina in the last game before the league’s mandated three-day shutdown. They will be back in action on Wednesday against the Penguins — the first of two home games before a four-game trip.

Having played nearly every other day for all of December, Lambert felt a few days of rest would do his team some good.

“Everybody else is probably in the same category, really to be honest with you,” he said. “The break comes at a good time for everybody.”

Even coaches. Lambert will do his best to stay away and enjoy the holiday.

“Not totally, but certainly will try,” he said. “Got family coming in and so gonna enjoy the break with the kids.”

➤ In addition to scoring his first goal of the season, the Islanders’ Sebastian Aho was a career-best plus-4 on Saturday — bettering Carolina’s Sebastian Aho, who also scored in the game.

“I thought they were good,” Lambert said of Aho and Mike Reilly, who have accounted for a 56.86 percent shot share since Aho returned from injury on Dec. 13. “Mike has the ability and the poise to use his legs to get out of trouble, skate out of trouble. Between the two of them, I think they move the puck really well.”

➤ Noah Dobson tied a franchise record with his 15th straight game playing over 25 minutes after skating 28:08 on Saturday, per team statistician Eric Hornick. Denis Potvin is the only other defenseman in club history with more assists than Dobson’s 29 through the season’s first 33 games, having notched 30 in 1983-84.