The Islanders spent the first 40 games of the season with minimal changes up front, opting to stick to the plan they've had since training camp.
On Tuesday, coach Lane Lambert decided Game 41 was the right time for a reboot after Casey Cizikas went week-to-week with a lower-body injury.
“I don't think I've been playing very well lately,” Lambert said Thursday morning. “Yeah, we could have moved just one guy if Cizikas was out. But we've moved a lot of guys. We've got to be better.”
The line change had its intended effect, as the Islanders won 4-3 over the Maple Leafs on Matthew Barzal's game-winning goal in overtime.
After a lackluster few weeks, they will be hoping a win like this will reignite their momentum.
For the first time since the Islanders traded for Bo Horvat last January, he and Barzal were in different positions in games with both healthy.
Anders Lee remained at Horvat, but Oliver Wahlström was on the right flank for his first game since December 27th.
Barzal will center Simon Holmstrom and Kyle Palmieri, the first time he has played in midfield since February 18, 2023, and the first time he has played with Palmieri since October 22, 2022.
Brock Nelson played on the de facto third line along with Pierre Envall and Hudson Fassing.
Jean-Gabriel Pageau placed Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck on the fourth line.
And the Islanders, a team that ranks near the bottom of the league in puck possession and offensive zone time, fought back by riding the cycle and holding the puck for extended periods against better opponents.
Auston Matthews scored two goals in the first three minutes of the second period and appeared to single-handedly halt the momentum that had come from a strong first period.
But the Islanders quickly fought back, hitting a laser wrist shot from Alexander Romanov at 4:18 to make it 3-2, and on a power play at 13:51 when Horvat hit Noah Dobson's shot from midpoint. I sunk it with a chip.
The game now heads to the third, tied at 3, and the Islanders indulge in their usual late-game drama.
The third period pretty much mirrored the rest of the game, tense, tense and evenly balanced for both teams.
The stalemate continued until extra time, with big saves from both netminders, especially Fassing and Martin Jones early on.
That's when Barzal deflected Dobson's pass to finally end the game, paying tribute to a good night of work for the home team.
Palmieri took the lead just 40 seconds into the game, taking advantage of a stumble penalty by Matthews and poking in Dobson's rebound.
This looked like a strong first period for the Islanders, but their momentum was halted by Bobby McMann's one-timer from the right wing at 12:39.
Losing eight of the previous 12 games into Thursday, a four-game road trip to the Central Division looms as Cizikas joins Semyon Varlamov, Ryan Purok and Robert Bortuzzo. , the Islanders had to find some solution. as soon as possible.
The season has reached its halfway point, the Metropolitan Division is closer than ever, and their margin for error is shrinking.
First time trying this solution, so far so good.
This is not the answer.
But it's a good sign.
