The bad news for the Islanders was, at least, all over by the time the game started.
Two points does not change the big picture that just got worse and more than a little bit complicated with the news that Jean-Gabriel Pageau is week to week with an upper-body injury and Alexander Romanov is out five to six months — likely the rest of the regular season at a minimum — and set to undergo right shoulder surgery in the near future.
Sunday’s 1-0 win over the Kraken at UBS on Kyle Palmieri’s shootout winner does soften the blow a little, though. Certainly, it served as confirmation that the Islanders aren’t letting the injuries get them down.
Mathew Barzal #13 of the New York Islanders takes a shot on goal during the first period when the Seattle Kraken played the Sunday. Robert Sabo for NY Post
“It’s a night where you can praise every player on the team, because everyone played so good,” coach Patrick Roy said. “Starting from the goaltender to the forwards going through the D. Everyone was really good, everyone was doing a great job competing.”
You can praise everyone, but you can praise some more than others, and that list would start with David Rittich, who finished with 19 saves and was stone-cold in the shootout to stop Eeli Tolvanen and Chandler Stephenson when both had the game on their sticks.
Matthew Schaefer, who finished with a team-high 27:23 of ice time and played, in Roy’s words, “one of the better games … since he’s been here,” was not far behind on a night where his details were so precise, his stickhandling so good, his edgework getting him out of so many tight spaces.
It was Bo Horvat, though, who saved two points in the shootout with the game on his stick, his shot ringing off the top bar and, just barely, in, extending the skills competition and allowing Palmieri to win it in the fourth round.
“I heard it hit the post, obviously,” Horvat said. “As soon as I saw the top mesh move, I knew it was in. Thankfully it did go in, or else I’d look pretty stupid there on the celebration.”
This was close to a complete performance, and relegated a lifeless defeat against the Blues 24 hours prior to the past. The Islanders were decisive, forechecking hard and dominating possession against Lane Lambert’s side. They controlled territory. The line blender necessitated in part by Pageau’s injury and in part by the tired performance against St. Louis produced solid results.
“I thought our entries were great tonight,” Anders Lee said. “I thought our D had a great gap, and when you have a great gap and you can transition the other way, they have to throw the brakes on and come back into their zone. I think our transition game helped our forecheck a lot tonight. Sometimes when you get a stick on that D-man and take him into the wall, that puck is free for your guys and [you] get it. And I think we did that pretty often tonight.”
Lee moved up to the top line on the left side of Mat Barzal, who had a terrific night of his own. The Max Shabanov-Cal Ritchie combination that was so effective as a fourth line cemented the third line, with Simon Holmstrom completing it to strong effect. Anthony Duclair, Casey Cizikas and Max Tsyplakov formed the fourth line, while the second line of Emil Heineman, Horvat and Palmieri was untouched.
The only piece missing from their game was traffic around the net, and in recent years, that might have been enough to let two points slip through their fingers on a night where Rittich and Joey Daccord alike were at the top of their games.
Not this year. Not Sunday.
New York Islanders goalie David Rittich defends the net from a Seattle Kraken player on Sunday. Robert Sabo for NY Post
The game went to overtime after Pulock interrupted Mason Marchment’s attempt in the final seconds, Horvat having whiffed on a look at the other end moments earlier.
Just like in regulation, the Islanders had the better of the chances in three-on-three overtime, and spent the last 18 seconds on the power play, with Horvat’s one-timer forcing Daccord into a great save with seconds to go.
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In the shootout, though, Daccord was made the rare goalie to nab a 65-minute shutout and end up the loser anyway.
“They had 19 shots, so it tells you a lot how much work the guys in front of me did,” Rittich said. “Lots of blocked shots. … We feel like we’re playing really good hockey now. We just want to keep doing that.”