TAMPA, Fla. — One other Islanders defenseman acquired harm. One other (totally different) Islanders defenseman had a robust debut. And the Islanders gained a seventh straight recreation to maneuver inside three factors of a playoff spot.
Ho-hum, proper?
The Islanders are the strolling wounded, with Scott Mayfield and Mat Barzal becoming a member of the injured record Saturday night time.
The Islanders are the most well liked workforce within the league, having gained seven in a row after Tony DeAngelo’s extra time winner sealed a 3-2 victory over the Lightning for his or her first win at Amalie Area since December 2019.
One way or the other, a way, these two info are coexisting.
“We are able to’t catch a break proper now, clearly, with accidents and stuff,” Bo Horvat mentioned after his outlet go sprung DeAngelo for the game-winner 32 seconds into the additional interval.
“We’ve acquired nice vibes proper now, as you guys can think about,” DeAngelo mentioned.
Yeah, it’s just a little unusual in Islanders-land for the time being.
“Initially, by no means been part of a workforce that had so many accidents, and never simply minor ones,” coach Patrick Roy mentioned. “Guys lacking for an extended time period because the begin of the 12 months, it’s unbelievable. However the group’s resilient and the group doesn’t search for excuses.”
For the reason that starting of this profitable streak, all three of Mayfield, Noah Dobson and Ryan Pulock have now gotten harm — with Isaiah George, a lefty, additionally being despatched down on Friday. Even earlier than Mayfield’s harm, the Islanders protection on Saturday included DeAngelo, Adam Boqvist and Scott Perunovich, none of whom have been with the membership seven days prior.
So, naturally, it was Boqvist — in his first recreation with the membership — who acquired the Islanders onto the scoreboard, following Barzal’s breakaway shot by banging in a rebound to tie the sport at one with slightly below two minutes to go within the second interval.
They got here up empty on their first energy play of the night time early within the third, however transformed mere seconds after the sport returned to even energy, with Kyle Palmieri’s one-timer taking the Islanders right into a 2-1 lead off Max Tsyplakov’s feed from behind the online.
That purpose 6:41 into the third didn’t spell the tip of the Lightning.
Tampa Bay utilized constant stress to the Islanders web all through the third, at one level being robbed of a Nikita Kucherov purpose by the stretched-out ankle of Alexander Romanov, who put in one other starring efficiency together with his workforce down to 5 defensemen within the third.
It was the second time the Islanders saved what appeared like a certain purpose by blocking a shot, the primary approaching the penalty kill late within the second when J-G Pageau acquired in entrance of Taylor Raddysh’s take a look at an open web.
“Even on the finish, I do know they put one in, however guys are in lanes,” Anders Lee advised The Put up. “Barzy blocks one. Guys have been strong defensively. You gotta play with some actually good sticks and construction with [Nikita] Kucherov dealing with that puck proper there. I assumed we actually did an ideal job with him tonight.”
Barzal did get harm on that block, slowly getting up earlier than receiving consideration from a coach shortly earlier than Kucherov lastly put one in with 47 seconds to go in regulation to tie the sport at two.
The Islanders, who might need used that as a possibility to soften down earlier within the season, have been unaffected, with DeAngelo shortly netting the winner in extra time.
“All people was screaming behind me, so I took a fast lookup, fired it as laborious as I may,” Horvat mentioned. “Tony did the remaining.”
“I don’t know if he may hear me calling,” DeAngelo mentioned. “I don’t know if I’m that loud, Jesus. However he rotated and … made eye contact.”
The standings impression was blunted by Tampa getting the loser level, however the Islanders path the Lightning and Bruins — who’re tied on 58 factors, with Tampa forward within the standings with fewer video games performed — by simply three factors.
Three weeks in the past, they have been useless within the water. Now, the Islanders are inside arm’s size of a playoff spot.
It’s as weird as any profitable streak within the historical past of the game. However that issues little with the season on the road.
“To achieve success, good groups discover methods to win irrespective of who’s within the lineup,” Horvat mentioned.
Hardly ever has that been extra true.