The descriptor "Not a Picasso" is commonly applied to less-than-artful wins.
Well, this one was barely a stick figure for the Islanders. But it was a crucial two points.
The Islanders overcame two sluggish periods, scoring their goals over the final 20 minutes in a 2-1 win over the Devils, who welcomed a sell-out crowd of 1,800 back into Prudential Center on Tuesday night.
Semyon Varlamov (28 saves) nearly had the second straight shutout for the Islanders (12-6-4) after Ilya Sorokin blanked the Penguins, 2-0, on Sunday at Nassau Coliseum. But Miles Wood scored with 13.2 seconds left in regulation as the Devils skating six-on-five.
Still, the Islanders extended their streak to 4-0-1 as they killed off all four of the Devils’ power plays.
Rookie Oliver Wahlstrom extended his career-high point streak to five games as he skated the puck into the Devils’ zone and beat Aaron Dell (18 saves), making just his second start, over his blocker and under the crossbar from the top of the right circle for a 1-0 lead at 1:10 of the third period.
Jean-Gabriel Pageau’s primary assist gave him 100 for his career while Nick Leddy’s secondary assist extended his point streak to five games.
Anders Lee made it 2-0 at 7:51, jamming in his own rebound at the right post.
Tuesday was the first game the Islanders played in front of fans since March 20, 2020 in Vancouver, two days before the NHL paused last season because of the COVID-19 pandemic, a stretch of 22 postseason games and 21 regular-season games.
The Islanders’ first home game in front of fans will be March 11 against the Devils, when 1,000 Northwell Health front-line workers will be in attendance as guests in appreciation of their work during the pandemic. Limited season-ticket holders will be in attendance starting on March 18 against the Flyers. The Coliseum is permitted to host at 10% of capacity so just under 1,400 tickets will be available.
"Any little bit that the fans can help energize the buildings for the players will be a very welcome addition," coach Barry Trotz said.
The Islanders had gritty right wing Cal Clutterbuck back on their identity-setting fourth line after a two-game absence for an undisclosed issue.
And health will be a key topic in March as Tuesday started a stretch of 16 games in 28 days for the Islanders.
"It is a lot of hockey," Michael Dal Colle said. "I played in the AHL for two and a half years, so my body was used to three-in-threes. As you progress to this level, usually the games are a little more spaced out but that’s not the case this year. There’s not going to be a lot of practice time. It’s going to be a lot of video."
Tuesday was also the back end of a stretch of three games in four days for the Islanders and perhaps that explained their first two periods.
The Islanders outshot the Devils, 8-4, in a sleepy first period with defenseman Ryan Pulock’s hard blast off the crossbar at 10:22 causing the biggest stir. Also notable was the Devils winning 13 of the game’s first 15 faceoffs.
The Devils held a 16-5 shot advantage in the second period, helped by three power plays in the opening 11:07. The Islanders held the Devils to two shots on a five-on-three that lasted for 25 seconds after Clutterbuck slashed Nikita Gusev at 4:16 with Pulock already in the penalty box but Varlamov had to make four saves on the subsequent five-on-four.
The Devils’ Andreas Johnsson also hit the far post from the left at 2:32.
