Doug Weight‘s coaching tenure is proving to be just what the Islanders needed. The Islanders are now riding a five-game point streak and are 4-0-1 in those games.
- New York Islanders 4 (20-17-9, 49pts)
- Columbus Blue Jackets 2 (32-11-4, 68pts)
- NHL Final, Box Score
- Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY
Here come the Islanders
It may have taken 41 games, but the Islanders seemed to have found a groove.
Thomas Greiss turned in another spectacular effort which mirrored the play of the entire team overall.
From start to finish the Islanders turned in another complete effort and find themselves just four points out of the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
The Islanders started a little sluggish once again in the first period and ended up paying for it, but not too badly.
Nick Foligno got the scoring started for Columbus who carried a 1-0 lead coming out of the first period.
For the Islanders to hang in well with the NHL’s second-best team in points is a feat in itself. The Islanders would use it as momentum heading into the rest of the game.
Two minutes into the second period Josh Bailey scored the 100th goal of his NHL career which banked off of Seth Jones‘ skate and into the net for a tie game.
Nikolay Kulemin played the role of Anders Lee, (who sat out tonight’s game due to illness) and backhanded the puck home for a 2-1 lead with under four minutes to play in the middle frame.
Adding to the lead
The Islanders would carry the 2-1 lead into the third, and for those whose Islanders memories are stained with the famous third period collapses, be calm.
Brock Nelson and his wrist shot put away his first goal in 10 games just 35 seconds into the third period.
The exuberance in Nelson after putting that one away was felt by everyone in attendance.
Fortunately for Brock, his goal helped break a 10 game drought.
Jason Chimera found the back of the net for his 10th goal of the season off another slick wrist shot.
Islanders held onto a 4-2 victory despite letting Cam Atkinson collect his 24th of the season in the final five minutes.
The win brings the Islanders closer to a playoff spot and adds their points streak to five games.
The Islanders will face the Montreal Canadiens Thursday night in Brooklyn.
Like the Jackets, the Habs enter Brooklyn in the midst of a mild streak. After a dominant start, the Habs are floating around the .500 mark.