Islanders Win Huge Game In Carolina

The Islanders went on the road and won a huge game against the division rival Carolina Hurricanes, winning 5-4 in overtime. The Islanders blew a 1 point 3rd period lead, which they have done a lot this season, but they ended up bouncing back and beating Carolina in overtime. I want to highlight Mathew Barzal in particular, who has 2 goals and 5 assists for 7 points over last 2 games, and is currently playing a a point-per-game pace. He is starting to live up to the huge contract extension that the Islanders gave him.

The Islanders win moved them into 4th place in the Metro with 24 points. 2 points behind Washington for 3rd in the division, and 1 point behind Tampa Bay for the final Wild Card spot in the eastern conference. The Islanders special teams pendulum has flipped on its head compared to last year. Last year the Islanders were 30th in the NHL on the Power-play and top 10 on the Penalty Kill. This year, the Islanders are top 10 on the power-play and bottom 10 in the penalty kill. If they can get their kill percentage to about top 15, than this team will be a force to be reckoned with. Considering they are one of the better 5-on-5 teams in the NHL.

The Islanders are entering a stretch in which they need to be able to stack up as many points as possible. Their next 5 games are against Florida, San Jose, Columbus, Los Angeles, and Toronto. It’ll be a nice test for the Islanders against some teams on both ends of the spectrum. San Jose and Columbus, and teams towards the top of the league against Los Angeles and Toronto. The Islanders are firmly in the playoff race, and leading up to the trade deadline I’d expect them to address the LD Spot. With Adam Pelech on LTIR and Sebastian Aho also on IR, it will take a lot of good cap management to make some form of supplement after picking up Mike Reilly off waivers.

Simon Holmström has also been quietly very good this year. Rotating from the top line alongside Barzal and Horvat, and also rotates down to the 3rd line alongside Pageau and Wahlstrom. He has produced in both positions. Having a strong presence on the Islanders penalty kill including multiple short handed goals. After a nice audition prior to injury last year, Holmstrom is showing the Islanders why he was worthy of a first round draft selection on 2019.