Thursday night's 6-1 rout of the previously troublesome Lightning at UBS Arena came at the most appropriate time; especially since it snapped a two-game losing streak and the goal scorers returned to form.
The huge exhale could be felt all over Islanders Country.
Or, of you will, this could be the start of something big.
Or, the light at the end of the Islanders tunnel is getting brighter.
Call it what you will, but Thursday night's 6-1 rout of the previously troublesome Lightning at UBS Arena came at the most appropriate time; especially since it snapped a two-game losing streak and the goal scorers returned to form.
Brock Nelson -- first star of the game -- was at the forefront with a goal and two assists. Both Kyle Palmieri and Bo Horvat -- his 38th goal of the season -- were formidable.
Meanwhile, young Simon Holmstrom was placed on the top unit with Horvat and Anders Lee and responded with a goal.
With Wild Card foes Pittsburgh and Florida both winning, the Isles needed to glue themselves to the "in" (second Card) spot, a point ahead of the Penguins.
And that they did.
Furthermore, since the Flyers will be invading Elmont tomorrow night, it will give Lane Lambert's skaters an opportunity to add more adhesive to their Wild Card hold in this thoroughly madcap, melodramatic sprint to the finish line.
Make no mistake, taking out the Bolts was a major move and not just for the two points. Tampa Bay is a solid team that Ilya Sorokin never had beaten. He rose to the occasion with 29 saves out of 30 shots, coming through when it most counted.
When the score still was 0-0, The Big S stopped a dangerous thrust by Ross Colton and that, in turn, was the springboard for Adam Pelech's icebreaking first goal of the game.
"We knew what was at stake," said a happy Bo Horvat who tallied his first red light against a goalie -- as an Islander -- on a give-and-go with Noah Dobson. "Now we've got to keep winning and playing our game."
That "our game" was defined by a team that looked and played desperate hockey. All four lines were determined. Their tenacity gave the Lightning little time to unwind.
New York's defense was bolstered by the reunion of Ryan Pulock and Adam
Pelech on the blue line. Pulock's late second period goal was particularly pivotal as it followed a Bolts score that had trimmed the Isles lead to 3-1, Renewing the three-goal cushion was a total relief -- both for the team and an anxious crowd.
"Everyone was ready," said Pulock. "We were energized," added his sidekick Pelech who led the team in plus-minus with a plus-3.
Coach Lambert put it another way: "We were aggressive from the first drop of the puck."
The hope, of course, is that the Nassaumen can maintain their momentum against the upcoming foes -- Philadelphia, Washington and Montreal.
In the meantime, they can be secure in the knowledge that the blue collar boys are pulling hard from their end. Jean-Gabriel Pageau, for one, was masterful going 14-2 on the face-offs. Overall the Isles won 60 percent of the draws.
With all due respect to the analytics crew, all the Islanders have to do next is win their next three games and they are IN.