DALLAS — Islanders Show Resilience Despite Late Injury

If Alexander Romanov hadn’t seemed badly injured in the game’s closing moments, this would have likely been seen as one of the Islanders’ best performances recently.

On Tuesday night, they secured their fifth win in six road games, snapping the Stars’ five-game winning streak with a gritty 3-2 victory. The Islanders have recorded wins across all four time zones on this trip, with their next stop in Detroit on Thursday, though it’s been anything but easy.

This particular game felt especially tough. There were stretches where the Islanders lacked the energy needed to claim the two points against Dallas.

Compounding this was a tendency to play too wide instead of moving the puck deep. The team’s reliance on skill and speed, which has been fine-tuned over the past few years, sometimes feels too much, and Tuesday was one of those nights.

But perhaps it proved that they’re capable of addressing challenges in real-time. After being outplayed in the first period and struggling at the start of the second, they leaned on backup goaltender David Rittich to keep them afloat.

Cal Ritchie’s first goal with the Islanders, a one-timer set up by Anthony Duclair, showed that they are working to overcome their early issues.

This was also evident after Jason Robertson scored to tie the game at 1-1, which came during a 3-on-1 rush following a turnover by Tony DeAngelo.

By the third period, the Islanders were fully engaged in what felt like a battle; without that intensity, victory would have eluded them.

Just over three minutes into the final period, Bo Horvat seized a rebound from Kyle Palmieri’s shot, delivering the crucial goal needed by the Islanders.

Interestingly, Horvat nearly let the Stars back in moments later when he was penalized for a high stick on Oscar Bach, receiving a 10-minute misconduct along with a double minor penalty. Yet, surprisingly, it was the Stars who faltered.

Palmieri added the Islanders’ fifth shorthanded goal of the season during this situation, taking advantage of a break to extend the lead to 3-1. Jamie Benn erased part of the four-minute penalty that followed with his own high stick, while the Islanders successfully killed the remaining penalties.

Unaffected, the Stars threatened late in the game, narrowing the score to 3-2 with Robertson’s goal less than two minutes before regulation ended. However, the most pressing concern was Romanov’s painful exit after being slammed into the boards by Mikko Rantanen with just 27.3 seconds remaining.

Romanov was helped off the ice in clear distress, resulting in Rantanen’s ejection. Patrick Roy was seen conversing with him as he left the rink.

To add to the drama, the Stars seemed to have scored the tying goal at the buzzer, but it was disallowed due to goaltender interference, a rule that often drew ire from Roy, who humorously managed to save the team in that moment.

As the Islanders prepare for the matchup in Detroit, they’ve made quite an impression. After 20 games—essentially a quarter of the season—they stand at 11-4-2, bouncing back nicely after an initial three-game losing streak.

They boast the league’s standout rookie and have persevered through what has been one of the toughest trips imaginable. Yet, another even more grueling span awaits them in January.

Maybe this team was underestimated after all. Current evidence certainly suggests that might be the case.