For the second night in a row, the Islanders’ playoff chances were in jeopardy.
And for the second night in a row, even if it was underwhelming and ugly, they did what they needed to do to generate the two points, defeating the Blackhawks 2-1 and keeping their playoff hopes alive. .
For 40 minutes, it looked like the Islanders would suffer their 10th loss in 10 games this season in the second end of a back-to-back.
Their energy was lacking, and even shifts holding the puck in the offensive zone didn’t seem to create scoring opportunities for Petr Mrazek.
After Jason Dickinson’s goal gave the Blackhawks the lead in the first period, the Islanders were unable to mount any offense and were so frustrated that they were booed off the ice after an ugly second period. was holding.
Not being able to get through in the third period wouldn’t have mathematically eliminated their playoff chances, but it would have made a wild-card spot a pipe dream at best.
The Islanders knew it, and so did everyone else.
When Filip Kurashev went to keep, the Islanders jumped on it.
After a messy 5-on-4, with a new-look power play unit, Bo Horvat tied the game by finishing Matt Barzal’s backhand feed from behind the net.
And at the 9:25 mark, Simon Holmstrom put the Islanders ahead, lobbing the puck into the net from low and wrapping himself in a hug as he watched the puck slip through Mrazek’s pads and escape.
Just minutes after Holmstrom’s goal, Mike Riley was called for a holding and the Blackhawks had a chance to tie the game.
But Chicago didn’t even register a shot on goal in two minutes, thanks in large part to the Islanders’ penalty kill, which has been their kryptonite for much of the season.
Unlike Monday, there was no 5-on-6 nightmare.
The Islanders closed out the game to great cheers and without any drama.
The Islanders finally won back-to-back games.
It’s never too early. And I don’t care about style at all.
