Horvat scored twice, and Sorokin shut out the Rangers. Islanders finally conquer MSG, snapping a long slump with a dominant 5-0 victory.
NEW YORK, NY -- It had been three years to the date since the New York Islanders came away victorious at Madison Square Garden. But that came to an end on Saturday night, as they defeated their cross-town rival, the New York Rangers, 5-0 to snap a five-game losing streak (0-4-1) in this building.
The Rangers have now been shut out five times in seven games at home this season.
Bo Horvat was electric, notching his 10th and 11th goals of the season and now sits tied for the NHL lead in goals with Pittsburgh Penguins' Sidney Crosby, Anaheim Ducks' Cutter Gauthier, Montreal Canadiens' Cole Caufield, and Boston Bruins' Morgan Geekie.
The first of the two came when the Islanders were struggling mightily to establish anything in the first period. Off the rush, Emil Heineman hit Horvat on the tape to give the Islanders a 1-0 lead at 10:29 of the first.
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Bo Horvat now sits tied for second in the NHL with goals (10), behind Sidney Crosby and Cutter Gauthier, who have each scored 11 goals this season.
With that goal, Horvat extended his point streak to five games. With the assist, Heineman extended his point strak to three games (one goal, two assists).
Sandwhiched between Horvat' red lights, Jonathan Drouin finished off a nifty saucer pass from best friend Anthony Duclair to give the Islanders a 2-0 lead at 19:27 of the second period.
That was Drouin's second goal of the season.
Horvat's second of the game came off a gorgous feed from Drouin. With a chance to shoot from the top of the crease, he had the awarness to konw that Horvat was behind him, ready and waiting. Horvat rifled Drouin's drop pass top shelf to extend the Islanders' lead to 3-0 at 18:42 of the second.
With 2:01 to go, Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored an empty-net goal.
Andeds Lee made it 5-0 with 29.9 seconds to play off the rush.
llya Sorokin was brilliant in goal despite facing a low volume of shots. He turned aside all 29 shots that came his way.
The Islanders play the second of their seven-game road trip in Newark on Monday with puck drop against the New Jersey Devils at 7 PM ET.