It was an eventful night in Dallas for the Islanders as they continue on their franchise-record nine-game road trip. After the Stars took a 3-1 lead, the Islanders rallied, scoring four straight goals to win the game 5-4.
- New York Islanders (30-22-10, 70 pts)
- Dallas Stars (25-29-10, 60 pts)
- NHL Final, Box Score
- American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX
End-to-end insanity
The Islanders pulled away from their fourth of a franchise record nine-game road trip with another victory making them 3-1 thus far.
2014 1st-round selection Josh Ho-Sang made his NHL debut tonight recording two shots on goal and going even on the +/- rating. Interim head coach Doug Weight complimented his game tonight saying:
Ryan Strome kicked off the scoring, putting away a breakaway for his 12th goal of the season. Strome is continuing the trend of recent success under Weight, with 14 of his 28 points on the season coming under Dougie’s lead.
The Stars would go on to score the next three straight goals, after the Islanders allowed the tying goal with less than 10 seconds left in the first. After that, a defensive meltdown ensued and the Isles set themselves back.
These bouts of defensive irresponsibility have been habitual under Weight. Although the offense has been very resurgent, the defensive end of the puck has suffered greatly. Bouts of inconsistency have caused the Islanders to allow one goal some nights, only to implode next game.
Andrew Ladd picked up a Strome rebound that bounced past Antti Niemi, and the Isles started cutting into Dallas’ lead late in the 2nd period.
Nick Leddy got some puck-luck 29 seconds into the 3rd period and tied the game for the Isles. The Islanders were absolutely dominating the Stars in possession and O-zone time coming out of the 2nd-period, and that would last into the 3rd as the Islanders were outshooting the Stars drastically when they tied the game up. At one point in the third period, the Islanders were outshooting the Stars 11-1.
Dennis Seidenberg fired an innocent-looking shot towards Niemi that found its way in courtesy of a screen in front and a five-hole wide enough to drive a Zamboni through.
A little over two minutes later, Leddy streaked into the offensive zone and dished it to Nikolay Kulemin who tapped the Isles 5th goal of the night (and his 11th of the season), humiliating the Stars defense and exposing half of the worst goaltending tandem in the NHL.
Tinkering
The Islanders came away with a much-needed win in regulation, but head coach Doug Weight was visibly frustrated and snarled as he left the bench.
Good.
Weight’s team’s play was sloppy, and he knows going forward they can’t afford to let up four goals a night. It’s been the top criticism he’s faced since taking over as head coach. While the introduction of rookies like Adam Pelech and Scott Mayfield to the lineup has brought many green players, the Islanders overall are suffering from mental lapses that seem to occur at random.
On the bright side, the team’s resiliency was shown in full. They rallied back from a 3-1 deficit after the Stars scored three straight. For their next practice, the Islanders need to put a focus on preventing odd-man rushes and on the Penalty Kill which has also been slipping.
The Islanders will be back in action tonight against the Chicago Blackhawks. Puck drop is at 8:30 p.m. on MSG+, and now on MSG GO if you find yourself (like the Islanders) on the road.