The Islanders, in a hard push to secure their hold on the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot, played a playoff-style game with their physicality, forechecking and clogging of the neutral zone. It was a lesson for the speedy and playoff-bound Devils.
Kyle Palmieri scored twice and the Islanders snapped a two-game losing streak with a 5-1 win on Monday night at UBS Arena.
Ilya Sorokin made 30 saves for the Islanders (38-28-9), including 14 in the third period, as the Devils (46-20-8) mounted a sustained attack. But Palmieri snapped in a shot at 15:25 of the third period after the Devils turned the puck over deep in their zone.
Top-line center Bo Horvat, with his first goal in 12 games, added an empty netter, followed by Zach Parise's empty netter with 0.6 seconds remaining.
The Islanders moved three points ahead of the Penguins, who hold the second wild-card spot and have played two fewer games. The Panthers, who lost their fourth straight, are six points behind the Islanders.
The Devils’ Vitek Vanecek made 31 saves against the Islanders’ revamped lines.
Coach Lane Lambert’s latest line iterations included separating Anders Lee and Horvat for the first time in 16 games and placing Zach Parise and Hudson Fasching on Horvat’s wings.
Horvat, acquired from the Canucks on Jan. 30, has just two assists in the last 12 games. Lee, who started on Jean-Gabriel Pageau’s line along with Simon Holmstrom – back in the lineup after his healthy scratch for Saturday’s 2-0 loss to the visiting Sabres – went without a point in six of his last seven games.
“Leesy and I had success early and things kind of dwindled away,” Horvat said. “I know I have to be better and start pulling my weight around here for sure…I think I definitely have another level to my game.”
But the Islanders can also succeed with a balanced attack.
Palmieri gave them a 2-1 lead at 14:22 of the second period with a strong individual effort, skating around the crease and waiting patiently for a shooting lane before roofing a backhander.
The Devils had a potential third-period equalizer waved off – and confirmed via video review – as it was ruled Tomas Tatar kicked the puck into the net at 8:54
The Islanders had a simple, but logical, game plan against the speedy Devils, one that worked well in an entertaining 6-4 win at Prudential Center on Dec. 9.
“You make them play in their own end as much as you can,” Parise said. “You always have to be bumping their top guys, slowing them down, getting in the way of them when they don’t have the puck and just try to frustrate them that way. They want the puck and they’re good when they get it.”
Sorokin, not in net against the Sabres, started strong, though he was helped by Nico Hischier shooting wide on a two-on-one rush just 31 seconds into the game.
But Sorokin, square to the shooters even through screens, made an economical move to his left to deny Erik Haula’s one-timer from the right circle at 7:14 of the first period. That allowed the Islanders to come up the ice in transition, with Palmieri getting to the crease for a shot off Vanecek’s chest. Pierre Engvall skated in to knock in the rebound for a 1-0 lead at 7:37.
