Don’t Look Now, But Islanders Are Tied For First In Division With The Capitals

The New York Islanders have pulled into a tie with the Washington Capitals for first place in the East Division with a record of 12-6-4 following their 2-1 win over the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday.

The Islanders are 9-1-2 when scoring first this season. Their first and third periods continue to be the best parts of their game. For some reason, they go into a lull in the second period, and that happened again on Tuesday. Both goals came in the third period.

But look how far they’ve come. One month ago, the Islanders were in last place in the division at 3-4-2, tied with the New York Rangers.

Sabres Up Next

But the really good news is the Islanders have three games coming up against the reeling Buffalo Sabres (6-11-3) starting Thursday. And the Islanders have owned the Sabres, leading the series 3-0. The Sabres have lost four straight and are 2-7-1 in their last 10.

More tough times will come, that’s for sure. But this must be considered the high point of the season for Barry Trotz’s crew.

The Islanders aren’t fancy and aren’t blowing anyone’s doors off. They continue to be a plodding team that uses patience to wear out opponents.

Do Statistics Lie?

Statistically, there is nothing here that jumps out at you, except for their team defense. They are ranked No. 3 in the league with 2.23 goals-against per game. Their power play is 12th, their penalty kill is 8th, their faceoff percentage is 9th and their goals per game rank 23rd.

These don’t seem to be the statistics of a winner. But they have a sure-fire winner in goaltender Semyon Varlamov, who should have had a shutout against the Devils except for a goal with 14 seconds left in regulation when New Jersey pulled their goalie for an extra attacker.

Varlamov has a 2.10 goals-against average and a .927 save percentage, and those numbers are trending above his career average. We’re not saying those are blockbuster numbers. They are not top five in the league. But Varlamov rarely gives the Islanders a clunker of a game.

Devils Cracked First

Mike Wood of the Devils said it best when discussing the Islanders shutdown game.

“They’re great in the (defensive) zone and they clog up the neutral zone very well,” Wood said. “But we knew it was going to be a low-scoring game and we had to stay calm. It wasn’t a race to score the first goal. It was the first team to crack. And, unfortunately, we cracked first.”

On the forward units, you have to like what captain Anders Lee and Jean-Gabriel Pageau are doing. Lee hit the 10-goal plateau against the Devils, while Pageau, the scrappy utility knife of the Islanders, has three goals in his last five games. And what a revelation Oliver Wahlstrom is turning out to be.

Wahlstrom On Fire

Wahlstrom, the rookie forward, extended his point streak to five games (three goals and three assists) by scoring the first goal for the Islanders. On his goal, he gathered speed in the neutral zone and blasted a wrist shot from the top of the right faceoff circle.

Top shelf! pic.twitter.com/h6bRcZC0Uw

— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) March 3, 2021

His play is even more impressive when you consider his ice time. He got only 10:53 against the Devils, but his ice time is moving up gradually.

“Coming into this year, I’ve just kind of fallen in love with the details of my game,” Wahlstrom said. “I feel like that’s helping me more, bringing more enjoyment to the game, and I’m thinking less about production and just focusing on the little details.”

Trotz likes the fact that Wahlstrom is learning to play on both sides of the puck. “That’s how you earn ice time,” the coach said.

“He’s finding that being on the right side of pucks and being in the right position, he’s getting more offense out of it. Instead of waiting for the puck to come to him, he’s part of the solution in getting it back so you can have it more.”

Lee Notches 10th Goal

Lee has been impressed with the development of Wahlstrom.

“(Wahlstrom) is feeling it,” Lee said. “I think he’s a shooter that can bury the puck from anywhere and he’s got some range. Wally’s just done a phenomenal job of stepping in each night, building his game. It just creates confidence.”

Up 2-0 thanks to The Captain! pic.twitter.com/BWllOvJE43

— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) March 3, 2021

Lee made it 2-0 when he knocked the puck in after a couple of whacks at the crease. That goal showed his quick hands. With his team-leading 10th goal of the season, Lee is halfway to his goal output from last season.

Trotz didn’t think the club had energy. But they had poise.

“I think the games piled up on us emotionally,” the coach said. “Three games in four nights. I thought our first period was fine and we really didn’t give them anything. The second period really took its toll and it took everyone out of rhythm, but our penalty killers were really strong and a couple of big saves from Varly. I thought we responded in the third period.”

It was a good February for the Islanders, who were 7-4 for the month, and so far early in March, they are 2-0.

Second Line Disappears

Amid the good news, there must be concern about the play of the second line with Brock Nelson, Anthony Beauvillier and Josh Bailey. Bailey had no shots, no hits, no blocks, three giveaways and one takeaway in 15:59 of ice time. That whole second line is cold. Beauvillier and Nelson had zero shots as well. Bailey is stuck at two goals for the season. That’s hard to swallow when you’re making $5 million a season.

The numbers behind tonight's win! 📊 pic.twitter.com/zDOnm9O1tY

— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) March 3, 2021

Beauvillier is still finding his legs after coming back from injury. Bailey has five shots on net in the past five games and has three points. Nelson has two points in the last five games and seven shots. Until that line gets going, or Trotz shakes up that line, the Islanders will have some tough times ahead.

After the Sabres three-pack of games, the Islanders’ schedule gets more challenging. They will get a better read on how good they are when they face the Capitals and the Philadelphia Flyers early next month. The Islanders are 0-2 against them both.