Two points were a top priority for the Islanders on Thursday, and they checked that box.
Still, despite the celebratory mood after Kyle Palmieri’s overtime game-winning goal, Noah Dobson’s first-period loss meant the star defenseman was ejected just over five minutes into the game, resulting in a 3-2 overtime loss to Montreal. It casts a shadow over the victory in battle. Didn’t go back.
“I’ve got a better idea. [Friday] How’s the situation?” coach Patrick Roy said, adding that Dobson suffered an upper-body injury.
The Islanders have a winning streak, currently at six games, and are looking increasingly likely to make the playoffs, but the threat of Dobson being out at any time during this critical period of the season could put the team at five games. This is nothing but the firing of two alarms. This season, the team saw a young defenseman rise to stardom.
Just hours before puck drop, Roy flashed Hall of Famer and Stanley Cup winner in comparison to Dobson on Tuesday night, who became the first Isles defenseman since Denis Potvin to reach 60 assists in a season. did.
So even if the Islanders win on Thursday, Dobson’s injury will likely be overshadowed.
“It affected the power play a little bit,” Roy said after the team went 0-for-4 without its first-team quarterback. “But you don’t want to lose anyone that early, especially a defenseman. We played with five [defensemen], [Sebastian Aho] Coming in, he had a great game and I thought all of our players did a really great job that time. ”
Dobson or not, this was another muddy win for a team that likes wins like that when they’re on the verge of saving a season.
The Islanders entered the final period controlling much of the 5-on-5 play against a team that had won the first two games of the season, with only a 1-1 tie to show for it.
The familiar sounds of disaster rang through the Islanders 3:42 into the third set, when Matt Martin blocked a one-timer from Juraj Slavkovskiy and struggled to his feet.
Meanwhile, in the ensuing scramble, Cole Caufield got the puck on Semyon Varlamov’s five-hole for a 2-1 lead, before Martin joined Dobson in the dressing room.
But the Islanders weren’t going to let this happen, at least on the ice. After Adam Pelech missed the net, Casey Cizikas hit a backhand wraparound to quickly tie the game.
The Islanders lost a chance to win in regulation with a missed shot on the power play, but Palmieri made up for it with a 3-on-3 score from a sharp angle.
Martin also returned to the bench by the end of the game, shaking off the pain of the blocked shot.
Disaster averted. In a sense.
“I feel good,” Palmieri said. “We fought. … We built the game and stuck with it. We just found a way.”
The Islanders played free for most of the night, imposing their will on a Montreal team that started Thursday in 15th place in the Eastern Conference.
But the Habs finally took the lead on Jordan Harris’ slap shot from the top of the right circle, which beat Varlamov through traffic at 17:58 of the first period.
The lead didn’t last long, as Pierre Engvall’s wrister tied the score at 5:17 of his second goal. This was the highlight of a great performance from the winger.
The Islanders struggled until the third period until Palmieri scored the winner.
This, like the previous five wins, was a tribute to the Islanders’ ability to pick up two points even when everything wasn’t going right.
He also succeeded in attacking Brendan Gallagher, who had been suspended for five games after elbowing Adam Pelech in the head in the previous match between the two teams, and also succeeded in attacking Brendan Gallagher, who had been delayed for a long time. In the second period, Jean-Gabriel Pageau came forward to fight the defenseman.
“JG is an unbelievable teammate. A great teammate,” Pelech said. “So I appreciate that, but I also think he provided that for the players when we needed a little pick-me-up during the game.”
The Islanders have 89 points and are looking pretty good in the race after the Capitals’ loss to Buffalo, while the Penguins, who beat Detroit in overtime, are their closest rivals with 86 points. There should be nothing but good feelings.
But Dobson’s ouster could change that equation. And if he misses time, it will definitely hurt his chances of completing the job.
