Takeaways: Islanders Outlast Lightning 3-2 in a Shootout, Sweep Season Series Over Bolts

Mathew Barzal and Emil Heineman scored in the shootout to help the Islanders beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2 on Saturday at UBS Arena, to cap off a feel-good day that started with Pat LaFontaine’s Islanders Hall of Fame Induction.

Matthew Schaefer (PPG) and Cal Ritchie scored in regulation, while Anthony Duclair recorded a pair of assists. Ilya Sorokin made 32 saves on 34 shots in the win. Darren Raddysh (PPG) and JJ Moser scored for the Lightning, while Jonas Johansson made 15 saves in the shootout loss.

The two points lifted the Islanders temporarily into first place in the Eastern Conference with 41 points, a culmination of the confidence the Isles have been playing with lately – they won six wins of their last seven games, including five straight home wins.

“Seeing our guys, the way they’ve been playing, I’m proud of them,” Head Coach Patrick Roy said. “They deserve so much credit for what they’ve been doing. It’s exciting for our franchise.”

The win made LaFontaine’s Islanders Hall of Fame Induction night extra special.

“Lot of legends in the stands tonight, huge motivation for us as a team to come out and have a good start,” Duclair said. “During [LaFontaine’s] speech, we got chills in our body, definitely wanted to have a good performance for him.”

TAKEWAYS

- The Islanders were opportunistic early, scoring twice on their first three shots on goal, courtesy of Schaefer’s power-play tally and Ritchie’s fourth career goal at the 10:16 mark of the first period.

- Duclair had a strong performance, notching primary assists on the two Islanders goals. He sent a return pass back to Schaefer on the power play, which got the Islanders on the board. He set up the second Isles goal, racing through the neutral zone and into the Lightning zone, leaving a drop pass for Ritchie who took a 2-0 lead.

“I like his focus,” Roy said of Duclair. “He’s skating well, he’s creating space for himself and I’m very happy with him. Another strong game.”

- The Bolts chipped away and tied the game on the strength of a power-play goal from Raddysh – who scored from the top of the right dot in a 5-on-3 situation – and a game-tying goal from Moser, who went top-shelf on Sorokin quickly after a faceoff win. The Islanders took four penalties in the middle frame, and the power-play goal against snapped a 16-for-16 streak over their last seven games.

- Sorokin had another impressive performance – earning first star honors and the Iron Man mask as team MVP for the third time this season – which included making 16 of 17 saves in the second period alone. Sorokin made a highlight-reel, acrobatic save on the penalty kill to prevent the Bolts from tying the game.

“Ilya was outstanding,” Roy said. “He made some really good saves, made things look simple and easy for him. He was in the zone. From the day I got here, I knew we had one of the best goaltenders in the game and I still believe that.”

- The Isles needed a solid defensive performance on a night where they were outshot 34-17 and out-attempted 72-41, and Roy said they got it, saying that his team defended well in their own zone. There were a few frustrating moments for the Bolts, when Nikita Kucherov and Darren Raddysh hitting the post.

- Schaefer netted his ninth career goal with a power-play tally at the 3:05 mark of the first period. He was given a special shoutout in LaFontaine’s Islanders Hall of Fame induction speech.

- Jonathan Drouin returned to game action after missing five games with a lower-body injury. He slotted into a line with Mathew Barzal and Emil Heineman, skating 21:09 TOI and recording two shots (one on goal, one missed) and won six of 10 draws.

“He played really well, I thought he had energy and was skating well,” Roy said. “That line played really well, they played a lot against Brayden Point’s line.”

NEXT GAME

The Islanders have two days between games before they take on the Detroit Red Wings on the road. Puck drop is set for 7PM.