Mathew Barzal, Ilya Sorokin, Jean-Gabriel Pageau drive Islanders to victory over Canucks
The Islanders' Mathew Barzal, center, celebrates his goal against the Canucks with Casey Cizikas, Josh Bailey, Noah Dobson and Alexander Romanov, from left, during the second period of an NHL game Tuesday in Vancouver, British Columbia Credit: The Canadian Press via AP/Darryl Dyck
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Another bad start. But a few personnel shuffles later, it was not a bad finish this time.
“We came in after the first [period] not very satisfied,” Mathew Barzal said. “We thought we got dominated a little bit in the first. We found our game in the second.”
Barzal, from nearby Coquitlam, British Columbia, and with about 50 friends and family in the building, extended his goal streak to a career-high four games and added two assists as the Islanders topped the Canucks, 6-2, on Tuesday night at Rogers Arena. They opened their four-game western swing with a lethargic 4-1 loss to the Seattle Kraken two nights earlier.
“I think a good team learns from its mistake,” said Jean-Gabriel Pageau, who scored twice, including an empty-netter. “There’s nothing to hide. I didn’t think we played good last game. I don’t think we came out the way we wanted today. But we’re all competitors and I thought we showed up after that. And Sorokie [Ilya Sorokin] was outstanding again and kept us in it.”
Sorokin made 11 of his 24 saves in the first period as the Islanders (22-15-2) moved back into the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Coach Lane Lambert shuffled his top three lines to start the second period, putting Casey Cizikas with Barzal and Josh Bailey. Hudson Fasching slid to Brock Nelson’s line with Anders Lee, and Anthony Beauvillier was bumped to Pageau’s line with Zach Parise.
“Laner just came in and said, ‘We’re better than that,’” said rookie defenseman Parker Wotherspoon from nearby Surrey, British Columbia, who notched his first NHL point with the secondary assist on Cizikas’ goal off Barzal’s feed to make it 5-2 at 9:44 of the third period.
“We all knew and took it to heart.”
Barzal lifted a wrist shot to give the Islanders a 3-1 lead at 16:28 of the second period. He also had the secondary assist on Pageau’s power-play goal on a rebound of defenseman Ryan Pulock’s point shot to make it 2-1 at 12:56 of the second period.
Lambert had also shuffled his power-play units with the Islanders entering the game in a 1-for-30 slump.
Barzal now has at least one point in all eight games he’s played at Rogers Arena.
“Definitely,” Barzal said when asked if it’s still special to play in Vancouver. “It always is. You ask anybody when they go back to their hometown, it’s special.”
“It’s awesome,” said Wotherspoon, whose family has had Canucks season tickets for more than two decades and had about 30 friends and family in the building. “Surreal. Just to come in here and even win, it made it so much better. I didn’t want to go and see the people when we’re sad.”
Bo Horvat scored twice and Spencer Martin stopped 23 shots for the Canucks (16-18-3), who have lost three straight.
Lee converted a Canucks’ turnover with a spinning shot from low in the left circle to give the Islanders a 4-2 lead at 1:46 of the third period.
But perhaps the biggest goal for the Islanders came as the fourth line, the lone trio that stayed intact, tied it at 1-1 at 2:26 of the second period.
Ross Johnston slid the puck to Aatu Raty — who had logged just 1:39 of ice time over three shifts in the first and did not see the ice the last 6:29 of the period — for the rookie’s second goal in five games. Raty finished with just 6:15 of ice time as Lambert limited his line rotation once the Canucks cut down to three lines.
“He’s growing,” Lambert said. “The nice thing about him is he’s really in tune with what’s going on. He’s going to be good.”
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
