On Monday afternoon the New York Islanders got back to their winning ways. Earning their 30th win of the season, they topped the Detroit Red Wings 4-1 in a Presidents Day matinee at Barclays Center.
After a very physical first period that saw no scoring, the Islanders were able to pull away from Detroit in the second frame. Brock Nelson once again supplied a lot of the offensive firepower and his fingerprints were all over the success that happened within today’s win.
Once Nelson got his team on the board, scoring at 8:24 and earning his 100th career point, the Islanders never looked back. Nelson also contributed with a big assist when Josh Bailey scored on a power play opportunity at 14:57. The momentum continued to build and roughly a minute after the Bailey goal, Merek Zidiicky scored at 16:03. This gave the Islanders a 3-0 advantage heading into crunch time.
The two teams traded goals in the third period and it was Ryan Strome who scored his seventh goal of the season at 12:14, basically sealing the fate of a Red Wing team that is making their own playoff push.
Allowing just one goal, with 28 saves on 29 shot attempts, goaltender Thomas Greiss certainly came up big for an Islander team that is right in the middle of a packed Eastern Conference playoff race. Making an argument that maybe he should be the full-time goalie, Greiss has been a steady force this season for this team. Individually, Greiss has now been the goalie in 15 of the Isles wins this season. In his last five starts, Greiss has won every one of those games.
This was the Islanders 4th straight win in Brooklyn. Their last loss at Barclays Center was back on January 25th to this Red Wing team. Certainly, it was good for them to get some redemption against a team that they will be competing against for a top notch playoff spot. Ironically, if the season ended today, these two teams would be meeting up in the first round of the playoffs. However, the Isles realize that there is still loads of hockey left in this season.
Next up for the Islanders is a showdown on Thursday night in Brooklyn against the Washington Capitals. The Caps have been the beasts of the east this year and they have beaten the Islanders in both of their previous match-ups. Holding the best record in the NHL and with 84 points to show for it, this will be a good test for an Islander team that certainly has high hopes that include big-time playoff aspirations.
On Monday though, it was all about getting back on the right track after a rough road loss against Carolina over the weekend. The Islanders did just that and will now get to enjoy a couple of off days before they face their big test against the Caps on Thursday, right here in Brooklyn.
