Takeaways: Islanders Shut Out Devils 1-0

The New York Islanders defeated the New Jersey Devils 1-0 on Sunday afternoon and snapped a three-game winless skid in the process.

Bo Horvat scored the lone goal of the game and Ilya Sorokin earned his fourth shutout of the season with a 25-save effort. Jacob Markstrom turned aside 21 of 22 shots in defeat. The 1-0 result marked the fourth time the Islanders shut out an opponent this season and first since Jan. 30, with Sorokin backstopping all four shutout wins.

“It was tight, there wasn’t much out there tonight,” Captain Anders Lee said after the win. “Not a ton of sustained pressure on either end. Sorokin was strong, Bo had a great play to pick that off and put it in for us. Some nights you only need one.”

Although the Islanders were eliminated from playoff contention on Saturday after a 4-3 shootout loss to the Philadelphia Flyers, the Islanders played with pride and came out with a simple, clean game on the road in the second half of a back-to-back set.

“We played a solid 200-foot game,” Head Coach Patrick Roy said. “We hit three goal posts at least, but like I said before the game, I’m not surprised. That’s the quality of this group. The guys won’t give up, they’ll keep pushing, this is a proud group, they certainly want to finish well.”

TAKEAWAYS

- Although it was a low-scoring contest, the Isles had quality chances and hit the post three times early in the game. Kyle Palmieri’s shot rung off the crossbar and out, while Pierre Engvall snuck a shot past Markstrom but hit the crossbar and stayed out, and Casey Cizikas also hit the post .

“We were doing a lot of good things to result in those chances,” Horvat said. “We were breaking out well, playing well in our own end, even when it’s not going in for us, guys are getting opportunities.”

Horvat, who had a goal waived off in the first period, broke the ice late in the second period and his tally held as the game-winner – his career-high seventh game-winning goal. He took advantage of a Timo Meier turnover in the high slot, whipping the puck past Markstrom from the left circle with under a minute left in the middle frame. Horvat was buzzing all night, as he led the team with six shots and also had a strong rebound attempt early in the third period.

- Ilya Sorokin had a solid performance, making 25 saves in his return to game action after missing two straight contests with a lower-body injury, looking like his normal self between the pipes.

“We played really well in front of him and that’s what I was hoping to see,” Roy said. “We gave up less than 25 shots, he deserved a performance from us like this, and when he had to, he made those saves.”

With his 22nd career shutout and 30th win of the season, Sorokin moved up in the Isles history books on Sunday afternoon. He joined exclusive company as he tied Billy Smith for second in franchise history in shutouts and became the second goalie in Isles history to record multiple 30-win seasons, joining Rick DiPietro.

- The win came at a cost, as Adam Pelech absorbed an illegal check to the head by Paul Cotter in the neutral zone. Pelech left the game with an upper-body injury and did not return after 9:06 TOI. Cotter received a match penalty.

“That’s the kind of hit we don’t like,” Roy said postgame. “The kind of hit we don’t want to see happen for any team.”

- The Islanders fended off New Jersey’s lethal power play, which entered the contest third in the NHL (27.5%), as their penalty kill went 1-for-1. The Islanders power play went 0-for-3 with eight total shots, but they and the Isles failed to convert a the five-minute power play, recording just one shot on goal on the lenghy man advantage. Although they didn’t score on the power play following Cotter’s match penalty, the Islanders had a strong response in the form of a shutout win.

LINEUP NOTES

Roy kept his forward lines and defense pairings the same as Saturday night in Philly. Ilya Sorokin was the lone difference, with Marcus Hogberg backing up.

ODDS AND ENDS

• Horvat netted his 28^th goal of the season on Sunday afternoon and has five points (3G, 2A) in his last five games.
• Marc Gatcomb led the team with four hits.
• Noah Dobson recorded a team-high 24:53.

NOTABLE QUOTE

Lee on a solid road game in New Jersey:

“We wanted to get back on the right side of the column and get a win today. I thought we did just that. We showed up and had a solid game. But it was kind of a sleepy one, a one-goal game tonight but we’ll take it and move on.”

NEXT GAME

The Islanders return to UBS Arena for their penultimate game and final home game of the season on Tuesday when they host the Washington Capitals. Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m.