High-scoring Islanders held to two goals, but still get the win

KANATA, Ontario — Saturday night was that rarest of games for the Islanders — one that didn’t feature multiple goals at both ends and big, round numbers next to the team’s goal total.

The second-highest-scoring team in the NHL scored only two goals, but that was enough in a 2-1 win over the Senators. It was the first time this season that the Isles have won when held to two goals. They have been piling up the impressive offensive numbers, but even they know that a tight, low-scoring victory has its place.

“You’re not going to win 5-4 every night,” said Jordan Eberle, whose late goal in the third period made it 2-0 and proved to be the winner. “That’s not how the league is.”

Yet the Isles were making a strong attempt in these first 23 games to turn the NHL clock back to the 1980s and 1990s, when 6-3 and 5-4 games were the norm, not the exception. They entered Saturday night averaging 3.68 goals per game.

“Everyone likes to see the point totals go up. It builds confidence,” coach Doug Weight said. “But you need to be able to grind out some of these games.”

Even one as disjointed as Saturday, when the teams totaled 11 power plays. The Isles have done well to stay out of the penalty box this season, having given opponents only 74 power plays in 23 games, in the top 10 in the league. That should help keep scoring down, in theory.

But the Islanders now have won six of their last seven despite giving up at least three goals in four of those wins. To have a game like Saturday, on the tail end of three games in four nights that included a pair of wild overtime wins over the Flyers, shows some versatility and adaptability for this Islanders team that’s starting to round into form near the top of the Metropolitan Division.

“You know when you get to the dog days, January-February, you’re not going to see those big numbers,” Weight said. “You have to get some experience in the low-scoring games. That’s what you’re going to see in April and May.”