7 2 JAWSOME
Surging Isles take bite out of struggling Sharks for 5th victory in a row
SAN JOSE, Calif. — The Islanders blew straight by the Sharks and swam ever closer to a playoff spot.
A last-place San Jose team that traded one of its better forwards in Anthony Duclair right before puck drop Thursday never looked like a good bet to stop the Islanders’ winning streak on paper. And from the game’s very first shot, the Islanders — eventual 7-2 victors — never relinquished control.
They not only extended their winning streak to five games, setting a new season-high, but thanks to the Lightning losing to Calgary earlier in the night, got within two points of a wild-card spot, with two games in hand on Tampa and the same number of games played as the Red Wings.
With the trade deadline coming Friday afternoon, the on-ice product has only produced encouragement for general manager Lou Lamoriello to add, particularly after the Islanders held the lead for 59:41 out of 60 minutes, with the top line of Brock Nelson, Bo Horvat and Mathew Barzal putting together their best game since being formed.
Noah Dobson’s attempt from the right point just 19 seconds in — the Isles’ first shot attempt against Sharks netminder Magnus Chrona, who made his third career NHL start Thursday — bounced off San Jose defender Kyle Burroughs and into the net.
By the end of the first period, Alexander Romanov had doubled the lead with a one-time blast from the left point off Horvat’s feed.
Earlier in the season, the Islanders looked similarly well-set in a game against the Sharks and blew it, allowing three straight goals in the last 10 minutes of regulation to lose a shocker in overtime.
That wasn’t going to happen this time.
The Sharks pulled within a goal twice in the second period, with Thomas Bordeleau and Mike Hoffman both scoring. Both times, the Islanders answered — first with Horvat roofing one from a few feet out and then with Kyle MacLean scoring just 15 seconds after Hoffman cut the lead to 3-2.
Just over two minutes later, Barzal got in on the action with a slick shot off Nelson’s cross-ice feed. And another two minutes after that, Sebastian Aho made it 6-2 off Horvat’s pass to the left circle and the blowout was on, with Anders Lee adding a seventh goal for good measure in the third period.
Breaks that had been going against the Islanders are going their way now. And on Thursday, they easily powered through in a game where they didn’t quite have their best.
Particularly early in Thursday’s game, the Islanders’ puck management left something to be desired, and their breakouts seemed a little bit off. Lopsided score aside, it wasn’t the cleanest game they’ve played lately.
But there are no style points in the standings and no one will hold that against the Islanders in a game where they dominated the scoresheet and saw the top line break out, with contributions on four of the seven goals.
For a team that struggled to put away its opposition all year, taking care of business on nights where they aren’t playing perfectly is a needed development.
Just a couple of weeks ago, the players in the dressing room were just about the only people who thought the Islanders could make a run into the playoffs.
But for the second straight season, with the odds against them, the Isles appear to be on their way to doing just that.
Thursday was two more steps forward, and the Islanders are now closer than ever to getting back over the cutline.