Islanders Beat Ducks 4-3 ELMONT, NY -- Simon Holmstrom [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/players/simon-holmstrom-new-york-islanders-jean-gabriel-pageau-mathew-barzal-lane-lambert] and Jean-Gabriel Pageau [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/features/anders-lee-jean-gabriel-pageau-new-york-islanders-lane-lambert] are becoming a lethal shorthanded duo for the New York Islanders [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/latest-news/ross-johnston-new-york-islanders-anaheim-ducks-ubs-arena-tribute]. Down a man with 1:45 to play in regulation after blowing a 2-0 third-period lead, the Islanders needed to find a way to get the game to overtime. Islanders head coach Lane Lambert [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/latest-news/new-york-islanders-lane-lambert-dean-evason-john-hynes-jay-woodcroft-bruce-boudreau] elected to place Holmstrom and Pageau out for the defensive zone draw. Right off the face-off, the Ducks took a penalty and on the delayed call, Pageau and Holmstrom got on the rush after a strong board play by Noah Dobson [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/players/noah-dobson-new-york-islanders-11-points-11-games-defensive-play-1-on-1]. In stride, Pageau hit Holmstrom on the tape, where he used his momentum to beat a few Ducks before roofing the puck upstairs on John Gibson for the 4-3 lead with 1:33 to play in regulation: The goal was the latest shorthanded marker in Islanders’ history, coming at 18:27 of the third. After the game, Mathew Barzal [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/features/mathew-barzal-new-york-islanders-postseason-horvat-wahlstrom]called Holmstrom the “shorthanded king” for his contributions. “There’s something to be said about how strong he is defensively and then, obviously, just his knack for the net. He’s getting comfortable out there, and he’s showing flashes of how talented he is. "You ask anybody in this room, he's one of the most skilled players on this team." Looking around the NHL, Barzal’s comments are justified. Holmstrom’s goal was his fourth shorty of the year. With four goals and an assist while shorthanded, Holmstrom is the NHL’s top scorer when down a man, beating out forwards like Pavel Buchnevich, Andrew Cogliano, and Travis Konecny. Whereas Holmstrom scores the goals, Pageau has been the one to set him up. His four shorthanded assists also lead the NHL, with all of them coming on Holmstrom’s tallies. The two began to work their magic on Nov. 4 against the Carolina Hurricanes, killing a Barzal high-sticking penalty. After Pageau stripped a puck away from Brent Burns, he and Holmstrom played give-and-go on a two-on-one breakaway, with Holmstrom sniping it past Antti Raanta. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QHnHy3jHtA[/embed] For that duo, it was a taste of their shorthanded success to come. “Him and Pageau, and if you look historically, Pageau has had some success shorthanded as well,” head coach Lane Lambert said. “They have a decent idea of when to go and when not to go, and that's very important when you're killing a penalty, as you can have an opportunity, you can have opportunities, but it's got to be calculated.” The two hooked up once again on Nov. 9 against the Boston Bruins. With New York down by one early in the third, Holmstrom forced a turnover which Pageau picked up. The two broke out on a two-on-one, with Pageau finding Holmstrom in close to give the islanders the equalizer: Their third shorthanded tally came on Nov. 30th, once again facing the Hurricanes. Pageau once again sent his winger for a skate down the right wing side, and Holmstrom tucked a backhander over the glove of Pyotr Kochetkov, tying the game and helping the Islanders to a 5-4 win: [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kukznSMC30[/embed] The Islanders penalty kill has given up 23 power-play goals this season. When Holmstrom and Pageau have been on the ice, the Islanders have allowed six power-play goals, and have scored five shorthanded, per Naturalstatrick.com [https://www.naturalstattrick.com/linestats.php?fromseason=20232024&thruseason=20232024&stype=2&sit=pk&score=all&rate=n&team=NYI&vteam=ALL&view=wowy&loc=B&gpfilt=none&fd=2023-10-10&td=2024-04-18&tgp=2000&strict=incl&p1=8481601&p2=8476419&p3=0&p4=0&p5=0]. Casey Cizkas and Mike Reilly have the other two shorthanded goals for the Islanders, with Holmstrom earning the primary assist on Reilly's which game against the San Jose Sharks. Before their homestand, Pageau said that much of their success was due to their experience of playing with Zach Parise. "I’d say Zach was an easy player to play with. I think he made me better, and I could say the same about Homer, just the way he’s responsible in our zone,” Pageau said. While their efforts in their first two contributions were losing efforts, their most recent combinations have resulted in victories. The second-year winger and veteran centerman have shown a flair for the dramatics so far this season, and the Islanders will continue to need their strong play to stick toward the top of the Metropolitan Division. Matthew Page [https://twitter.com/matthewpage24] contributed to this report. Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAyOTA3MTA5MzYzNDkxODUy/hockey-night.jpg]
