Back on home ice, he snapped out of his stupor and returned to NHL-.500.
Saturday night won't change the big picture that the Islanders started the season well below par.
But after three straight gut-punch losses on the road, each one worse than the last, this 3-1 win over the Blues was as much about proving something to themselves as it was about other reasons. It was necessary.
To their credit, this win served as a reminder that the Islanders can still win games and, in fact, even hold a lead.
Whether it does so on a consistent enough basis to matter is still up in the air. But if the Islanders are going to start building winning habits, it has to start somewhere.
Step 1: Build a lead with power play goals and more.
check.
It was courtesy of Brock Nelson. He brilliantly brushed it off the Islanders' shoulders late in the second period against the Devils, who trailed 1-0 in Calgary and Detroit.
After Blues defenseman Ryan Suter was sent off for a trip, Nelson took a feed from Max Tsyplakov into the basket and hit a one-timer from his knee, the team's first since the win over Vancouver eight days earlier, and his first of the season. He scored a power play goal. From behind the net.
A hard-fought 1-0 became an easy 2-0, and the Islanders felt like they might be able to carry over two periods' worth of strong defense and forechecking into the third.
Ilya Sorokin, who won his 100th career victory, also participated in the game and made a big stop to stop Nathan Walker late in the second point, leading to the third point with a two point lead.
But any thoughts that the Islanders would ride that emotion to a straight-up victory were dashed less than a minute into Game 3.
Isaiah George took a cross-check penalty 35 seconds into the game, and 10 seconds later Jake Neighbors hit a shot off the left post to make it 2-1.
Noah Dobson's goal from the right circle with 8:27 left looked to give the Islanders a reprieve, but it was quickly undone by goaltender interference after a Blues challenge, and Kyle Palmieri was hit in the eye. I saw it and interfered with Jordan Binnington.
On any other night, that might have shocked the Islanders even more.
In this issue, they quickly ignored it and continued.
And at 5-6, rather than complete the collapse, Palmieri added his second goal of the game into an empty net, sealing a much-needed two points.
The Islanders set the tone early in the game, quickly establishing their forecheck and controlling most of the puck in the first period. After the Islanders forced a turnover in the neutral zone, Palmieri singled past Binnington for a 1-0 lead at the 18:51 mark.
It was low-event hockey, the kind you associate with the Islanders, the kind they couldn't translate into wins all last week.
At that point, you couldn't be blamed for thinking that whatever the Islanders did early in the game might not last. If you've watched this team in the past week or even the past year, you know this team has rarely been like that.
Saturday was an exception.
Now the Islanders need to rewrite the rulebook.
