The New York Islanders [http://thn.com/isles] played their best overall game of the season in their 7-2 rout of the Detroit Red Wings [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/detroit-red-wings] on Thursday night. Emil Heineman scored twice, and Anders Lee had three assists on a night where seven different players recorded points. Lost in the dominance was the play of backup netminder David Rittich [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/latest-news/after-forgettable-season-david-rittich-s-first-islanders-start-feels-monumental], who turned aside 29 of 31 shots. The shot difficulties weren't off the charts -- albeit a few unreal saves, including a diving paddle stop in the third period -- but Rittich was so structured and in control of his crease that it led to a strong night. Through his first two starts with the Islanders, Rittich is 2-0-0, stopping 58 of 62 for a 2.00 GAA and a .939 SV%. Per MSG statistician Eric Hornick: David Rittich is the first Islander goalie since Jaroslav Halak (2014) to win his first two appearances with the team. "He competes. He competes all the time," head coach Patrick Roy said of Rittich. "He's pissed off when he gives goals. He talks a lot, and he plays the puck very well. We talked about it a couple of days ago, or yesterday, actually. We talked about it because he played with Mike Smith, and when he was in Calgary, he was telling me how good he was with the puck. Mike Smith [was there], and then he said that he'll never be like Mike Smith, but he loves to play the puck, and I thought he did a really nice job. He didn't learn from me, that's for sure." Having a second goaltender that Roy trusts and can count on is paramount to the Islanders' success and to starting netminder Ilya Sorokin's success. Rittich has shown up and thrived against the back-to-back Stanley Cup Finalists, the Edmonton Oilers, and a Red Wings team -- maybe fraudulent -- that had gotten off to a fiery start to the 2025-26 season. With Sorokin getting the nod against the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday afternoon, expect Rittich to get one of the following three games of the Islanders' road trip.
