Islanders Beat Leafs The playoffs are the goal. You know it; The Maven Knows it, and Patrick Roy [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/latest-news/oliver-wahlstrom-new-york-islanders-patrick-roy-barry-trotz-lane-lambert] knows it. What the coach now has is fresh armament and a week of studying to reach the goal. The 3-2 win over Toronto last night at Scotiabank Arena merely confirmed it. These are the New York Islanders [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/latest-news/oliver-wahlstrom-new-york-islanders-patrick-roy-barry-trotz-lane-lambert]. * Pelech and Pulock: The Gold Dust Twins of defense are back. "They were rock solid," St. Patrick acknowledged after the win. * Engvall Awakened: Unlucky Pierre turned Lucky Pierre for a change, scoring the winner with 2:02 left in the third period. "It felt really good," said Engvall, speaking for all of Islanders Nation. * Sorokin Saves: Ilya made 35 stops, including a last-minute furious flurry. "The guys were calm and under control," said Roy. "They're buying into what we're doing." * Leadership: When a Leafs nobody named Simon Benoit tried messing with Mat Barzal, Bo Horvat stepped in. "Bo is a leader," said Roy. "You can be an eagle or a duck. He's an eagle!" * The New Kid: Kyle MacLean burst out of the penalty box on a nifty breakaway. Clean as a Kucherov, The Kid pulled a sweet deke and scored. Roy: "He can play a lot of roles." * Confidence: The Hockey News Yearbook picked Toronto to finish first in the Atlantic. The Isles swept the series 3-0-0. "It was," Roy concluded, "a great team effort." Next Up: To confirm optimism, the two-in-a-row streak must happen Thursday at UBS, 8:00 pm. TOP STORIES
