News from the Islanders: This team could return.

After the New York Islanders defeated the New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes in regulation last night, I went into the game believing they had already proven they were a “Success!” in their tough week of Stanley Cup contenders. Overall, it would have been a very good week, even if they fell short against the Colorado Avalanche. I was a little dejected when they lost 3-0, but I stood by what I had said before. They already far exceeded my expectations for the week and already prevented the worst-case scenario of 2-7, as I previously feared.

They then ventured out and achieved even greater success than I had thought possible.

After an incredibly inconsistent first nine games of the season, Dom is probably right to be unsure about this team, despite my intense desire to declare them firmly “back.” But one thing is certain: overall, the games will be much more enjoyable. When Anthony Beauvillier gave them the lead, UBS Arena erupted in a way I had never seen before—and hadn’t seen since Game 6 of the 2021 semifinal. Beau is aware of lofty objectives. [LHH]
Lane Lambert signaled a timeout following the Avs’ third goal, emphasizing that they had been playing well and that they could and would rally. The next shift saw Noah Dobson score, and the rest is history. Semyon Varlamov also locked in followingTwo more goals by the defenseman were an underappreciated aspect of the offensive surge. Scott Mayfield was the beneficiary of Mathew Barzal’s brilliant shift and look on the game-tying goal. Dobson gave the Isles the lead and energized the team and fans. [3 Takeaways]
This is the longest clip I’ve seen so far; I’ve been trying to find one of the entire shift, but this one at least shows the conclusion of Barzal’s keepaway play, where he recovers his own shot and draws four (!) Avs defenders to him, leaving Mayfield wide open down low.