Islanders Best Effort -- Best Win
All wins are equal, but some wins are more equal than others.
That sums up the Islanders 7-2 embalming of the Maple Leafs on Tuesday night at UBS Arena.
It was New York's biggest -- and best -- win of the season because it solidifies their Wild Card bid and underlines their determination. Even losing coach Sheldon Keefe took some post-game time to commend the winners.
"I give the Islanders credit," said Keefe. "They not only competed hard but it was evident that this game was important to them."
Also obvious was the game-stealing of goalkeeper Ilya Sorokin who keeps displaying reasons why he must be a Vezina Trophy candidate.
With his mates giving up what's becoming a traditional first goal -- and in danger of going down 2-0 in the first period, Ilya was just -- excuse the invented word -- "Brilyant." Exhibit A took place in the first period.
As Toronto's Erik Gustafsson was about to celebrate his open net goal, Sorokin did an out-of-position ballet turn and then used his paddle to bunt the biscuit out of danger. The save so amazed Sportsnet's Ryan Dixon he wrote:
"Sorokin made a save so loud it sounded more like a hard single up the middle of a 95 m.p.h. pitch than a goalie thwarting a shooter."
That done, the Islanders began to take care of business with a lot of help from the Energy Line's Cal Clutterbuck delivering a three-point game and two goals. His high voltage mates, Matt Martin and Casey Cizikas played an old-school, playoff type, grinding game that kept the raucous UBS crowd roaring its approval.
And that included Isles boss Lou Lamoriello who celebrated his 1,400th victory as a National Hockey League general manager.
A trio of Lamoriello additions have galvanized his club which is 7-2-1 in its last ten games. They include forwards Hudson Fasching, Simon Holmstrom and Pierre Engvall.
Fasching, who registered points for the third straight game, has fortified a third unit with veterans Zach Parise and Jean-Gabriel Pageau. All told, the bottom six drove the win with four goals spread over the two lines
"Hudson is on pucks," said captain Anders Lee, "makes smart decisions and gets big time goals. He's got a ton of skill."
Meanwhile, Parise and Pageau refuse to play like NHL senior citizens and are a good reason why the Isles registered their 19th comeback win of the season.
Equally encouraging for coach Lane Lambert has been a noticeable improvement in gifted young defenseman Noah Dobson who enjoyed his ninth multiple point game. Dobson, by the way, was named third star of the night behind Clutterbuck and Sorokin.
With Dobson's usual partner, Sebastien Aho, sidelined with an injury, Lambert inserted massive (6-4) defenseman Sam Bolduc alongside Noah and the
Bridgeport product delivered 15:59 of solid ice time.
Looking ahead, the Isles visit Columbus on Friday followed by a UBS game the following night against Buffalo. At this point in the homestretch, they represent the next two biggest games of the season; neither to be taken for granted.
"If we stick to the plan," concluded Clutterbuck, "and remain disciplined, we'll have success."
Dobson: "We're resilient. We know and trust our game."
Noah's Grade A performance vs. Toronto was another reason why this particular win was more equal than the others!
SIDEBARS:
* Toronto's big guns -- especially Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner -- were effectively muzzled by the Isles solid checking game.
* Stat King Eric Hornick's arithmetic that I liked best:. The win marks the Islanders season high 10 games over the .500 mark.
* In case John Tavares believes that he's a forgotten man on the Island, the fans delivered several choruses of "We don't need you" to the former NY captain.
* The current win mode actually began with the road loss in L.A. Except for a short span in that game, the Isles were strong against one of the best clubs in the league.
* Figure that coach Lambert will employ Semyon Varlamov in one of the two back-to-back games over the weekend.
* Only two more back-to-backs are on the schedule.
*Brock Nelson left the game in the first period after taking a hard hit and did not return. No update yet on his condition.