ELMONT, NY — Six hours after the NHL Regular Season started in Prague, the New York Islanders defeated the New York Rangers 5-2 in UBS Arena on Friday night. Mat Barzal stole the show with a goal and four, count ’em, four primary assists. Bo Horvat scored a pair of goals, while newcomers Anthony Duclair and Maxim Tsyplakov scored their firsts in the blue and orange.
Patrick Roy emphasized postgame that no matter what, the results in the preseason did not matter to him. He cares about how the team plays. Roy made it clear that he was thrilled with how the Islanders played, as a matter of fact.
It really was a mostly complete effort. The Islanders outshot the Rangers 38-22 in the contest and controlled play for most of the game.
The Early Deficit:
In the first period, the Islanders fell behind 2-0 after the Rangers got a pair of friendly puck bounces into the net. The first goal, scored by Jonny Brodzinski, resulted from a defensive-zone breakdown starring Oliver Wahlstrom, who seemed lost on the play. Ultimately, the shot popped about 150 feet in the air before dropping perfectly off the back of Semyon Varlamov and in.
The next Rangers goal came as a result of an unlucky bounce. Already trailing 1-0, the Islanders failed to break it out, and an Adam Fox shot hit Varlamov’s pad, then doinked off the shinguard of Jean-Gabriel Pageau and in.
It’d be hard to fault the Islanders, who led 10-4 in shots at the time of the goal, to write off the last preseason game.
Instead, a late first-period power play jolted the Islanders to life.
Powerplay Excels:
On the late-period power play, Tsyplakov received the puck behind the net. He wasn’t pressured, so he took his time and created some space for Barzal on the outer flank. Barzal sent it to Horvat in the bumper, who one-timed it home to slice the deficit in half.
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Late in the second, Horvat struck again. Duclair set a strong screen and was eventually pushed into Igor Shesterkin’s skate by Ke’Andre Miller. Barzal quickly found Horvat in the slot, who again one-timed it home into the yawning cage.
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Later, the Islanders’ powerplay struck again. Once again, it was Tsyplakov, in what Barzal deemed his office postgame, who deftly banked the puck off of Miller’s skate and in. At that point, the power play was 2/3. They finished the night 2/4.
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Don’t Forget About the P.K.
The penalty kill also had a pair of big kills. The first of which came past the midway point of the second period, when Grant Hutton sat for interference. The Islanders kept the Rangers at bay, and 90 seconds after the kill, Horvat had tied the game.
The other kill came midway through the third period. With the Islanders leading 3-2, they had to prove they could kill off a Rangers power play that galvanized a comeback just last week. Led by Adam Pelech, who had a particularly strong defensive game, the Islanders got the kill.
Pelech’s and Ryan Pulock’s confidence seemed to be increased. The duo has stated they want their mojo back, and tonight was another step in that direction.
Closing the Game Out Strong:
Last week, the Islanders failed to close out these Rangers late. Tonight, the opposite was true. The Islanders suffocated the Rangers, not allowing for any true time and space. The clinching moment came with under three minutes to play.
Duclair stole the puck away from Fox and sprung Barzal on a breakaway. Barzal roofed it past Shesterkin’s glove and in.
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37 seconds later, Barzal picked up a loose puck behind the net and fed Duclair for an easy one-timer to finish off the Rangers.
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Final Observations:
If this was Wahlstrom’s last game for the Islanders, he left it out there. He showed a lot of effort. He didn’t get down after his mistake on the goal against. Wahlstrom got involved, having a nice toe drag and shot in the second period. He had a couple of golden opportunities to score but couldn’t bury them.
Even so, Patrick Roy praised Wahlstrom postgame. “I loved him. I thought his whole line was great. (They were) up against their top line, they had my total trust.”
The Islanders’ third line sparkled again. They were out there for the second Rangers goal, but that was virtually the only shift they spent in the defensive zone. The way Simon Holmstrom, Anders Lee, and Pageau hounded pucks and caused turnovers was truly reminiscent of the Carolina Hurricanes’ third line centered by Jordan Staal. It’s a nightmare for any opposition team to play against.
Grant Hutton didn’t look out of place tonight. His penalty prevented a Chris Kreider breakaway, so it wasn’t the worst one to take.
Tsyplakov continues to grow every game. He was the first to say he needed more speed postgame, but he feels it’s getting there. With a goal and an assist in the power play, things are looking up for the Russian.
