This was not quite Islanders hockey the way we’re used to seeing it.
So, it was more than surprising to see the Islanders explode for seven goals and rout a tough opponent like the Boston Bruins 7-2, like they did on Thursday night, ripping five goals in the third period to blow the doors wide open.
It’s a big deal if the Islanders score four goals in a game, let alone seven. It’s not a good plan to try to win every game by one goal. It hasn’t worked out too well for the Islanders this season.
They have a terrible .375 winning percentage in one-goal games. That’s why it must be encouraging to see them go on the attack the way they did last night.
Islander coach Barry Trotz seemed surprised too by the third-period surge.
“I thought it was going to come right down to the end,” Trotz said. “But I did feel good about our group. Our group was pretty focused. We lost our focus in the second. We started to play east-west instead of north-south. It obviously turned really quick for us.”
Home Record Improves To 6-0-1
The output was a season high as the Islanders improved to 6-0-1 at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in 2020-21. It marked just the third time since the end of the 1980s in which New York scored five or more goals in a single period. The other times occurred on March 10, 2014 (7 in the third) and Feb. 9, 2018 (5 in the third), according to NHL stats.
“Our group was pretty focused… I thought we did a good job against their top line tonight. That was a culmination of our defensemen.”
Trotz ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/j9Xt1sjbug
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) February 26, 2021
The score was 2-2 going into the third period, and typical Islander hockey would have been to play patient, wait for the chance to score, and then lock down the other team.
It didn’t happen that way. The Islanders saw blood in the water and went on the attack, scoring five unanswered goals in the third period.
Beau Is Looking Good
It was 2-2 when Anthony Beauvillier scored his first of the season, with a great steal in front of the Boston goal, to put the Islanders up 3-2. The smile on his face told you all you needed to know about what a great confidence boost this is for him.
Beauvillier recently returned to the lineup after missing nine games with a lower-body injury. His return has stabilized the forward lines.
“We just try to play our game. Boston is a big, heavy team that likes to cycle. We have to stay on our game. We’re solid defensively and we try to make it tough on teams.”
Barzal and Eberle ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/YzKiHeynWy
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) February 26, 2021
“We love seeing him smile and he loves scoring,” Mathew Barzal said. “Whenever he gets one or a guy like that who hasn’t had a goal yet gets one, that’s a big boost for the bench.”
Injuries are always going to happen and Cal Clutterbuck did not play after the first period. Trotz said he’s “not too concerned” about the severity of the injury.
Adam Pelech scored his first of the season and Barzal scored his seventh of the season to put New York up 2-1 in the first period.
Jordan Eberle (8), Jean-Gabriel Pageau (8), Anders Lee (9), and Oliver Wahlstrom (2), the 20-year-old developing star who has points in two straight games, scored the other third period goals.
Of course, Pageau’s goal was memorable because he scored on a shorthanded breakaway to put the game away 5-2. He should get lots of credit. He’s the utility knife for the Islanders. He can play in multiple positions and does everything well.
𝐀𝐋𝐋 the numbers from tonight's W! pic.twitter.com/zm9wnIT3i2
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) February 26, 2021
Although Pageau was the story of the game for many, the big takeaway here is how this victory was a complete team effort. Seven different players scored goals. And you have to feel for Josh Bailey, who has only one goal on the season, and Brock Nelson, who didn’t get a sniff at the net, or register a shot on goal. They will break out at some point. They are too good to be stuck in such a rut.
Barzal (1-1) was one of four players with multiple points. The others were Lee (1-1) and defensemen Nick Leddy (0-2) and Adam Pelech (1-1).
Goal Differential Improves
The standings change almost daily. But right now the Islanders are looking good. They are in third place in the East (19-6-3) and their goal differential is looking much better at +6.
In fact, the Islanders are 7-2-1 in their last 10 after chalking up their second victory in a row. Over the last 10 games, the Islanders have been the best team in the division.
It’s odd a little bit that the Islanders seem to have the Bruins’ number. They are 3-0-0 against Boston, which is still the No. 1 team in the division.
“The Bruins are, in a lot of ways, the gold standard, especially in the East,” Trotz said.
Give the Islanders a lot of credit, but Boston looked like they gave up the fight after the second period. So, the Islanders probably aren’t as good as they looked last night, and the Bruins aren’t as bad as they looked either.
“This was definitely a team win.”
Lee and Varlamov ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/DDHpy2cA4y
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) February 26, 2021
“There wasn’t any urgency in the third period, so that’s a problem,” Boston coach Bruce Cassidy said. “We’ve got some young players in the lineup, so we’re going to live with certain mistakes.”
The Bruins coach saw this as a battle of patience, which was won by the Islanders.
“It’s a good defensive team,” Cassidy said. “They don’t give you much. You need to have patience.”
Halak Shows Frustration
Goaltender Jaroslav Halak, who made his first start against the Islanders since 2014, was irritated with the third-period surge. The Islanders clearly got into his head.
The Islanders had 37 shots on goal, and Beauvillier and Pageau led the team with six shots apiece. Even the defense is getting in on the act. Pelech had three shots and Ryan Pulock had four. The Islanders will do well if they continue to get shots from their defense.
Next Up
Next up come the Pittsburgh Penguins in back-to-back games Saturday and Sunday, and going by their track record, the Islanders will have their hands full. The Penguins lead the series 3-1, having won the last three straight.
