Islanders exit Brooklyn by topping Oilers to match win total from last season
The Islanders exited Brooklyn — for now — with yet another win, if not another one of their better outings.
They beat the Oilers, 5-2, on Saturday night at Barclays Center before a crowd of 14,812, the second largest of the season in the building, despite giving up three power plays in the third period and needing two late goals for a comfortable margin.
“We found a way,” said captain Anders Lee, who gave the Isles a 4-2 edge at 17:44 of the third period and snapped an 11-game streak without a goal. “It wasn’t a full game by us and we gave them a lot of opportunities, a few bad penalties in the third, but our penalty kill did an unbelievable job.”
The Metropolitan Division-leading Islanders (35-17-6), who matched their win total from last season, will play their final 12 regular-season home games at NYCB Live’s Nassau Coliseum. They finished 12-6-2 at Barclays Center.
“People have come out in good numbers and there’s a good vibe, so Barclays has been good to us,” coach Barry Trotz said. “The Coliseum is a little more intimate and everybody is a little closer to the ice. Everything is a bit louder, but the fans have been fantastic here this last little while.”
Robin Lehner stopped 34 shots. Former Islanders prospect Mikko Koskinen made 19 saves for the Oilers (24-29-5).
If the Islanders play again at Barclays this season, it will be starting with the second round of the playoffs. It was announced Friday that if they make the playoffs, they will play at the Coliseum in the first round and in Brooklyn in all subsequent rounds.
Defenseman Ryan Pulock beat Koskinen with a power-play one-timer from the left circle to make it 1-0 at 3:02 of the second period and Valtteri Filppula tipped Nick Leddy’s shot from the right point to make it 2-0 at 13:30. Pulock nearly made it a three-goal edge, but his power-play shot from the left circle went off the near post.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins pulled the Oilers within 2-1 with 2.3 seconds left in the second period by deflecting Kris Russell’s shot from the right.
“It’s hard to be at your best every night,” Pulock said. “We’ve done a pretty good job of that and we’re going to have times in games where maybe we’re not as sharp. When that does happen, we find a way to bear down and our goalie would make a save.”
Mathew Barzal tipped Devon Toews’ shot and made it 3-1 at 5:09 of the third period, but the Oilers again closed to within a goal on Leon Draisaitl’s power-play goal at 10:20.
Brock Nelson scored an empty-netter at 18:16 to make it 5-2.
The Oilers took 13 of the game’s first 16 shots before the Islanders’ attack finally thawed and they started generating chances. Indeed, the most memorable moment of the first period came when the car alarm for the SUV behind the glass went off.
Notes & quotes: D Thomas Hickey and LW Andrew Ladd, transferred to long-term injured reserve, each had a goal and Ladd added an assist in a 4-3 overtime win over Hartford as they started conditioning assignments with Bridgeport (AHL). They also will dress for Sunday afternoon’s home game against Charlotte . . . Rookie LW Michael Dal Colle was a healthy scratch for the second straight game . . . Toews and Josh Bailey each had two assists . . . Lee fought Darnell Nurse at 17:08 of the second period . . . The Islanders are on a 7-0-1 streak in home games . . . Koskinen, who played four games for the Islanders in 2010-11 after being picked 31st in 2009, stopped 24 shots in Friday night’s 3-1 loss at Carolina.
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.
More Islanders
