The New York Islanders started the second half of their season off in style with a big win at Barclays Center on Tuesday night topping the Minnesota Wild 5-2.
In their first game back since the all-star break, the Islanders did not look that sharp at the start. Falling behind early, it took some time for the them to loosen up and gain some traction against a very physical Wild team. Then, several minutes into the second period Mikhail Grobovski smoked a slap shot that zinged straight to the back of the net and knotted up the contest at one a piece.
The Grobovski goal led to a domino effect of positive vibes for the rest of his teammates. Anders Lee wound up scoring just a couple of minutes afterwards to give the team the lead. Just before the end of the second period though, Minnesota tied it up with a goal from Jason Pominville. Just moments later, the Isles took the momentum right back when Brock Nelson scored his team leading 20th goal of the season.
In the final frame, the Islanders were able to get two more goals and create some distance from a Wild team that seemed like they were ready to step up and get a road win. When it was all said and done, the Islanders came away with the win, climbing to ten games above 500 with a record of 26-16-6. Also, this was the first time the Isles beat the Wild in four attempts.
No doubt, the player of the game was goalie Jean-Francois Berube. Getting his first win in the NHL, Berube’s 40 saves were just what his team needed to get things headed in the right direction. And despite falling behind early, Berube did not back down. Continuously, he had some very key deflections that were essential for the win. Berube’s teammates showed their pride for the goalie after the game when they mobbed him at center ice with a boisterous team celebration.
Meanwhile, Nelson continues to supply the Isles with an offensive explosiveness that the team has been lacking for years. He seems to always shine when the stage gets bigger and remains a threat to score whenever he is on the ice. At just 24 years of age, certainly the best is yet to come for this youngster.
Now, the playoff race is about to heat up and it seems like the Islanders are prepared to fight their way through a very competitive Metropolitan division. Last night gave them a much needed home win and it is important for them to get every win they can when playing at Barclays Center for home ice advantage at least through the first and possibly the second round. In their final 34 games of the season, 20 of them will be on the road.
This is a busy week for this Islanders team. They will have three more games, traveling to Washington and then Detroit before closing out the week on Sunday at Barclays Center on Sunday against Edmonton.
