New York Islanders Beat Anaheim Ducks 5-2 In Final Game Of Homestand

The Ducks are a good young team. They presented another challenge for the Islanders, but they won this game 5-2. The Islanders were coming off a big win. The Islanders defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 5-4 in the shootout on Tuesday night, with Emil Heineman scoring the lone goal in the fourth round of the shootout. Twelve Islanders scored a point in the game against Vegas. Ilya Sorokin made 33 saves on 37 shots. The Isles have now won nine come-from-behind games this season. Did you think the Islanders would have yet another comeback win in this game?

Scoring Summary

The Ducks are coming off a 4-3 win over the Penguins in a shootout on Tuesday night. The Ducks found themselves down a goal until Beckett Sennecke evened the game near the goal with just 0.1 seconds remaining in the third period. The Ducks have won each of their last three games, including two in a shootout. Here is a scoring summary from the game.

In the first period, Travis Michell scored his first National Hockey League goal for the Islanders. They had a 1-0 lead. Then, Anders Lee scored for the Islanders, and they led 2-0. Then, Lee scored again, and the Islanders led 3-0. That was a good period for the Islanders.

In the second period, Leo Carlsson scored for the Ducks, cutting the deficit to 3-1. That is how the period ended. In the third period, Troy Terry scored for the Ducks to cut the lead to 3-2. Then, Simon Holmstrom scored a huge goal for the Islanders. The score was 4-2 Islanders. Then, Ryan Pulock scored to give the Islanders a 5-2 lead.

Islanders Penalty Kill Continues To Do Well

The Islanders’ penalty kill shut down all four opportunities Vegas had on Tuesday night, including a six-on-four opportunity. “We killed that six-on-four, and then the three-on-four in overtime … was pretty big as well,” Islanders Head Coach Patrick Roy said. The penalty kill for the Islanders improves to 13-for-13 in December this year. They are one of two franchises, joining the Dallas Stars, as the remaining teams not to allow a power-play goal this month.

Ryan Pulock Is Doing Well For the Islanders

Pulock entered this game with an assist in each of the last two contests and leads the Islanders with 15 total assists. Pulock earned the Iron Man mask after the Tuesday night win. He recorded an assist and one blocked shot. “He deserved it because he played a really strong game,” Roy said. “I mean, come on. He played against Eichel pretty much all night long.”

Pulock has been paired with standout rookie Matthew Schaefer this season. He has been disciplined, taking only one penalty this season, accumulating a plus-seven rating while playing all thirty-one games this season.

Fourth Line Great For Islanders

The Islanders’ new fourth line of Kyle MacLean, Casey Cizikas, and Marc Gatcomb has been a force as of late, as the trio combined for seven points in their last four games. “It’s always positive when we can contribute,” Gatcomb said after Tuesday’s game. “As a line, our mindset just stays the same … we’ve just been working hard, and I think it shows.”

Beyond just points, this line’s physical play has made a difference in games. Gatcomb has distributed the sixth-most hits (22) in the National Hockey League this month, including a team-high nine on Tuesday. “They brought a lot of energy to our team,” Roy said. “That intensity that they have, shift after shift after shift, … that’s impressive.”

News and Notes

• The Islanders’ penalty kill has been on fire in December, perfect actually. The Ducks are not as good when they are down a man. The Ducks’ penalty kill is 27th in the National Hockey League (75.5%), but has shown improvement as of late, as they rank 12th in the month of December (83.3%). The Ducks have killed 15 of the last 18 penalties.
• The Ducks’ power-play is 20th in the league (18.6%), also struggling. However, in December, their power-play is even worse, 11.8% as they scored just twice in their last 17 man-advantage opportunities.
• Anaheim Ducks came into this game 19-10-1, in the Pacific Division, while the Islanders 17-11-3, in the Metropolitan Division.
• This is the first matchup of the Ducks and Islanders this season. The game is the first of two meetings between the Islanders and Ducks this season. The Islanders are 23-16-4-3 all-time against the Ducks, including 12-7-1-2 on home ice. The Islanders and Ducks will wrap the season series on March 4 in California.
• Schaefer and Beckett Sennecke are the two leading candidates for the Calder Trophy.

Conclusion 

This was yet another difficult game for the Islanders, who are in a tight fight in the Metropolitan Division, where only seven points separate first place and last place. The Islanders’ next play in Tampa against the Lightning is Saturday afternoon. It is the third time the two teams have played in the last 10 days.