Rosner On Gatcomb ELMONT, NY-- Despite injuries to much of the roster, the New York Islanders [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/latest-news/new-york-islanders-mathew-barzal-injured-reserve-long-term-injured-reserve]defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 2-1 to to keep pace in the competitive Eastern Conference wildcard race. Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjEyNjExNDcwOTMwNzQ4OTM3/usatsi_25339115.jpg] The Islanders entered the night having won their five most recent contests at UBS Arena. Mathew Barzal was placed on the IR earlier in the day, while Scott Mayfield missed his second consecutive game with a lower-body injury. Ilya Sorokin returned to the net following Jakub Skarek's first career NHL start on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Here's how the game unfolded: Adam Pelech took an awkward hit from Brandon Saad in the opening minutes after knocking down the puck. He went to the bench but was able to return for his next shift. At 3:28 of the first period, Jack Eichel tipped a Victor Olofsson pass to Ivan Barbashev in front of the net. Kyle Palmieri was forced into taking a "good" penalty by hooking Barbashev's hands, sending the Islanders to their first penalty kill of the game. The Islanders had killed 24 of their prior 26 penalty kills entering the night. They did not allow a shot on goal during the kill. The opening frame had close to no action until the dying minutes, but a stretch pass from Adam Pelech to Bo Horvat started a mini-breakaway. Horvat went around the defender and tucked the puck through Ilya Samsonov's five-hole at 18:21 to put the Islanders on the scoresheet first: This was Horvat's 19th goal of the season and Pelech's seventh assist in his past nine games. Horvat became the first Islander to 40 points this season, doing so in his 52nd game. The Islanders were outshot 5-3 in the period but entered intermission ahead with the game's lone goal. The Islanders did not start the second period with much intensity, landing only one shot on goal in the opening nine minutes of the frame. However, a Keegan Kolesar tripping penalty at 9:49 gave the Islanders a power play. The first unit recorded a few good chances, including two Anthony Duclair shots from below the hash marks -- but they could not find the back of the net. Pierre Engvall had the Islanders' best chance of the period at 13:50 with an off-balance 2-on-1 rush alongside Duclair. Engvall backhanded a shot on net that produced chaos around the crease, but Samsonov secured the rebound. The Golden Knights pushed in the final minutes, led by a Brett Howden shot from below the goal line, but the Islanders headed into the second intermission with a 1-0 lead. Vegas outshot the Islanders 15-4 in the second period. The third period started with urgency from both sides, highlighted by an Engvall wrist shot on an odd-man rush nearly five minutes in. Yet, it was Vegas who found the net next at 7:40 as Saad backhanded a loose rebound past Sorokin's glove: This was Saad's first goal with Vegas, as Nicolas Hague and Nicolas Roy registered assists on the goal. Without much life, the Islanders fought back, as with a fresh stick from the bench, Brock Nelson deflected an Alexander Romanov shot from the point past Samsonov's glove at 10:43: This was Nelson's 16th goal of the season. The Islanders limited Vegas' chances in the minutes that ensued, forcing head coach Peter DeBoer to pull his netminder with just over 90 seconds left in regulation. Despite well over a minute of offensive zone possession, the Golden Knights could not beat Sorokin, ultimately falling 2-1. UP NEXT: The Islanders visit the Winnipeg Jets on Friday at 8:00 EST.
