3 Takeaways: Holmstrom and Sorokin Power Isles 2-1 Win Over Jets

In a tight game, the New York Islanders squeezed out a 2-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets on Wednesday night in front of a home crowd at UBS Arena.
Powered by some secondary scoring from Simon Holmstrom and Sebastian Aho, the Islanders sported a solid third period to bolster New York to their third win in four games.
"We all have to step up," said, Holmstrom, who scored the game-winner. "It's a very important time now and we just have to keep going."

As the regular season winds down, the points only get more substantial. The Islanders were able to earn two points to further solidify their first wild card spot status in the Eastern Conference.
As of Wednesday, the Islanders stand fourth in the Metropolitan Division with 67 points, four points ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins, and five points ahead of the Washington Capitals. However, Pittsburgh has five games in-hand, while Washington has two games in-hand. In the tight standings of the Eastern Conference, only five points separate the top five teams vying for a wild card spot.

HOLMSTROM'S BOUNCE-BACK PERFORMANCE

Simon Holmstrom's game-winner was the feel-good story on Wednesday night.
It was a spot of redemption for the rookie, who started Monday's matchup on the top line and was taken off midway through the game. After somewhat of a disappointing game against the Penguins, Holmstrom battled through and responded with the game-winning goal against the Jets.
"It's greatly satisfying, I'm happy for him," Head Coach Lane Lambert said of Holmstrom's performance. "He had a great night and I hope he keeps it going. I was happy with his response."
ISLANDERS 2, JETS 1
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The winger found some open ice after a hit from Dylan DeMelo, creating a lane to receive a feed from Bo Horvat. Holmstrom ripped it past Hellebuyck to make it 2-1 with 10:03 left in the final frame, netting his fourth goal of the season and first goal in seven games in the process.
"Huge one by Homer there, it was a great shot," Zach Parise said following the win. "We felt good going into the third period. [We were] just patient, waiting for our opportunity and we got it done."
Unlike the previous two wins, the Islanders didn't have to dig themselves out of a hole in the contest. New York struck first against Winnipeg, capitalizing off Mason Appleton's drop-pass turnover that led to the opening goal of the game. Brock Nelson took possession and raced down the ice, taking a shot that was denied by Connor Hellebuyck. Sebastian Aho quickly picked up and buried the rebound for his fifth goal of the season.
With the primary assist on the goal, Nelson picked up his 58th point of the season, one shy of his career-high 59 points. Since his appearance in NHL All-Star Weekend, the Islanders representative continued to prove his All-Star status. Nelson collected 12 points (7G, 5A) in the eight games since the break.
The Islanders offense was dim in the middle frame, as New York failed to record a shot on goal in the first eight minutes of the period. The Jets took their opportunity to bite back, with Nikolaj Ehlers ripping one past Sorokin on the power play to tie the game at one apiece. The Jet's third-ranked penalty kill in the league held strong, killing off two Islanders power plays and four total on the night.
After a stretch of quiet third frames, the Islanders have been showing dominance in the final 20 minutes, which has shown to hold up as the difference-maker in recent wins. In their last three wins, the Islanders have six third period goals.
"It's been huge for us," Holmstrom said of the team's improved third period performances. "We've been struggling with that before, so we've been finding our game lately."

SOROKIN WINS GOALTENDING DUEL

Two of the best netminders in the NHL squared off on Wednesday night at UBS Arena, as Ilya Sorokin edged Connor Hellebuyck in goaltending duel.
Sorokin stopped 25-of-26 shots in the win, while Hellebuyck, the 2020 Vezina Trophy winner, stopped 20-of-22.
Sorokin stopped 109 of 116 shots faced (.940 SV%) over his last three starts, all wins, but the scoresheet doesn't exactly do Sorokin justice. The 27-year-old Russian netminder kept the Islanders in the game with some unbelievable saves, including a stretched-out glove save on Blake Wheeler that skittered across the crease after Sorokin made contact.
"There's so many times I'm sitting on the bench, and I just think... Wow I'm really glad he's on our team," Hudson Fasching said. "It's pretty obvious how elite he is. He's unbelievable."

LAMBERT SWITCHES UP D-PAIRS

Lane Lambert switched up the forward lines last week, depositing a necessary spark in the team amid injuries. This time around, Lambert made some changes to the Islanders defensive pairings ahead of the matchup against the Jets.
The consistent duo of Ryan Pulock and Adam Pelech was split up, as Pulock played with Alexander Romanov and Pelech saw ice time with Scott Mayfield. The Islanders blocked 17 shots against Winnipeg, while Mayfield recorded a team-high four blocked shots.
The Islanders bench boss was satisfied by how the defensive pairings held up against a powerful Jets squad.
"Winnipeg's got a heavy team," Lambert said. "They're got some big forwards. I thought that the shuffle that we did was well-warranted, and I thought they played well."

NEXT GAME

The Islanders host the LA Kings on Friday night. Puck drop is at 7:30 p.m.