The New York Islanders defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 in OT last night to extend their point streak to 6 games (7-1-2 in last 10). They haven’t given up the lead-blowing thing yet but are still sitting second in the metro with 33 points, behind the Rangers (39 pts) who host the Leafs tonight.
This was the first meeting of the season between the Leafs and Islanders, and to make it extra special, John Tavares entered the game with 998 career points. He left with the mighty thousandth thanks to an assist in the dying seconds to tie the game (in classic Islander fashion). Thankfully, however, that would be the highlight of the night for the Leafs. Shortly after the entire team celebrated with Tavares on the ice at UBS, Bo Horvat would end the game in overtime thanks to a saucy dish from Mat Barzal. A beautiful sequence. Shoutout to Noah Dobson for two consecutive OT assists, and yes, congrats to JT on a solid milestone. The grudge is embarrassing at this point (especially considering we’ve outperformed the Leafs since he left).
Right now we have the top guys playing up to their potential, the new pick-ups settling in well, and contributions from the entire team on a consistent basis. A useful power play is also nice! It isn’t always pretty but we can’t complain if they’re getting the points. This is another example of the ups and downs of the season, but now we have a chance to create some separation in the standings.
There is plenty of hockey left in the season, but it is worth noting the Lee and Horvat haters are looking pretty silly right about now, too. Horvat’s game-winner was his 10th goal of the season and 11th point in 7 games . Captain Anders Legs has been more of a menace than he had been to start the season, and tallied two goals to help the Isles come back against LA over the weekend. He is one of the handful of players this team needs to be playing inspiring hockey for them to succeed. His line-mates are certainly producing now that they’re back together. Barzal has 13 points in the last 6 games.
There are always going to be tweaks that need to be made, but let’s enjoy the ride a little bit while we can. The Islanders face off next against the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday @ 730 pm EST.
Cover Photo: (AP Photo/John Munson) https://www.thestar.com/sports/hockey/horvat-scores-in-ot-as-islanders-beat-maple-leafs-4-3/article_8f88b229-721c-5a48-9740-7082e1ef4ed8.html
The Morning Skate 