It was far from a complete effort, not with another sub-par second period bleeding into the third period. But, in the end, it was all smiles for the Islanders, one day before the NHL trade deadline.
Particularly Ryan Pulock.
The offensive-minded defenseman’s first goal of the season was an overtime winner as the Islanders beat the Rangers, 3-2, on Sunday night before a sell-out crowd of 1,400 to complete a 5-1-0 homestand.
The Islanders (27-11-4), who snapped a three-game power-play drought while killing off all three Rangers’ power plays, also kept pace with the victorious Capitals atop the East Division. However, the Capitals now have a 22-20 edge in the regulation wins tiebreaker.
Ilya Sorokin stopped 24 shots for the Islanders, including Mika Zibanejad at the left post to start overtime, in his first NHL match up against fellow Russian, friend and KHL rival Igor Shesterkin (29 saves).
Pulock scored the winner at 1:13, getting the right circle and converting Mathew Barzal’s feed. He celebrated by whirling his arm – no doubt in relief – and flashing a wide grin as he was mobbed by his teammates.
Coach Barry Trotz re-arranged his lines in the Islanders’ third game since acquiring Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac, separating the two ex-Devils. Zajac was moved to Barzal’s top line with Jordan Eberle while Palmieri stuck with third-line center Jean-Gabriel Pageau with that trio completed by rookie Oliver Wahlstrom, re-inserted after a two-game absence.
The Islanders had gone 0-for-1 without a shot on the man advantage in Friday’s 4-1 loss to the Rangers. That left them in an 0-for-6, three-game rut, 1-for-13 in the first five games of the homestand and 2-for-23 over a nine-game span.
The Islanders concluded a stretch of three games in four nights on Sunday so there has not been a team practice since Wednesday’s trade for Palmieri and Zajac.
But the solution was not difficult. The Islanders needed more pucks to the net and less "cute" play.
"I think what was making it successful was just getting pucks to the net and getting tips, bang in goals," said Matt Martin, who has settled into a net-front role on the power play with captain Anders Lee (torn right ACL) out for the season. "Sometimes, on power plays, you can get a little too cute, always trying to make a perfect play for an open-netter."Palmieri’s power-play goal at 1:47 of the first period – his first point with the Islanders – exemplified the puck movement and shot-mentality Trotz wants on the man advantage. Josh Bailey took a hard shot from the right circle, Brock Nelson tipped the puck and Palmieri, as the net-front presence, knocked it in.
Pageau, last season’s trade deadline acquisition, made it 2-0 with 7.6 seconds left in the first period, jumping on the ice to take a cross-ice feed from Eberle after Barzal rushed the puck up ice.
But the Rangers tied it at 2 heading into the third period as the Islanders struggled through another second period. They’ve now been outscored 39-29 in second periods this season – 37-19 in games not involving the Sabres.
The Islanders could not derive momentum from a strong penalty kill with Martin in the box for tripping at 4:42 of the second period, with Scott Mayfield blocking two shots and Pulock one. Defensemen Libor Hajek halved the lead at 10:23 and Brendan Smith tied it at 12:16 with the Islanders caught flat-footed both times.
But the Islanders held the Rangers without a power-play shot with Martin again off for tripping at 3:54 of the third period. Zajac and fellow ex-Devil had blocked shots on that penalty kill.
