The Islanders went 9-3-0 in January, closing out the first month of the new year on a six-game winning streak.
After seemingly falling out of the Eastern Conference playoff picture at the beginning of January, the New York Islanders capped an impressive run for the month on Thursday in a 3-0 win over the Philadelphia Flyers.
Simon Holmstrom opened the scoring, Marc Gatcomb recorded his first NHL goal, and Kyle Palmieri broke his long slump, setting the stage for Ilya Sorokin to pitch a 23-save shutout.
With the victory, the Islanders finished the month 9-3-0, their best January since 1983.
Much of that conversation is due to a vastly improved penalty kill.
After a dismal 53.3% success rate in December, the PK went 21-for-23 this past month, good for a 91.3% success rate.
In individual performances, Brock Nelson, Bo Horvat, and Mathew Barzal all scored the most points among skaters this month, with 11.
Horvat led the team in goals with eight, with Barzal having eight helpers.
However, Nelson came on strong in the mid-stages of the month, recording a point in 10-of-12 games. Among the highlights were him passing Brent Sutter and Pat LaFontaine on the franchise's goals list and his overtime winner against the Carolina Hurricanes.
In between the pipes, it was a team effort between Sorokin and Marcus Hogberg. Sorokin was in a funk entering January, causing Patrick Roy to turn to Hogberg more regularly. He shined when given the opportunity, going 2-1-0 with a 1.26 GAA and .946 SV%, before sustaining an upper-body injury.
However, Sorokin has started to find his form again as of late. He finished January 7-2-0 in nine appearances, posting a 1.75 GAA and .938 SV% following his shutout on Thursday. Additionally, he ended the month winning his last four starts and five appearances, stopping 109-of-113 shots.
The list of standouts doesn't end there. Alexander Romanov has also stepped up as of late, using his defensive skills and physical presence at the blue line. Defensive newcomers Tony DeAngelo and Scott Perunovich have also held down the fort, with several injuries at the position.
Both ended the month with points in back-to-back games.
Holmstrom's return to the lineup has also been felt, posting four goals and an assist for five points in six games since his return.
As the Islanders head into February hot, it's the culmination of an impressive turnaround despite a myriad of circumstances.
Semyon Varlamov (lower body) and Mike Reilly (upper body) remain on LTIR. Noah Dobson (upper body) joined them recently, while Ryan Pulock (upper body) is on IR alongside Hudson Fasching.
Maxim Tsyplakov missed three games due to a suspension, followed by being a healthy scratch for a game.
Even if there are new obstacles to overcome, the Islanders have put themselves back in the thick of the playoff race.
Although a lot can change in February with the Four Nations Faceoff break in the middle, New York can continue to climb back into the race and salvage a season that was on life support not that long ago.
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