3 Takeaways: Islanders Stage Second Straight Comeback

Comebacks are becoming characteristic for the New York Islanders.
For the second straight night, the Islanders entered the third period down 3-1 and for the second-straight night, they staged a dramatic comeback, upending the Rangers 4-3 at Madison Square Garden.

Anders Lee capped the comeback at 14:30 of the third period, after Adam Pelech and Brock Nelson tied the score in the third. Kyle Palmieri (1G, 1A) and Zach Parise each had multi-point games for the resilent Isles, who now have three third period comeback wins in the past 11 days.
"I just I think our guys have a lot of heart," Head Coach Lane Lambert said. "They believe and they don't quit."
The Islanders are 2-0-0 against the Rangers this season, taking both games in regulation. With the teams only meeting three times this season, the Islanders have already taken the season series and valuable points against not only an archrival, but a division rival.
With the win, the Islanders have won five straight road games against the Rangers for the first time in team history.
"This is a big game. For both sides it's a division game. It's a rivalry game," Lee said. "It means a lot to both sides of fans. And it's one you'd like to be on the right side of."

ISLANDERS STEP UP IN THIRD PERIOD:

When the Islanders found themselves down 3-1 after 40 minutes, the thought that permeated the locker room was we've been here before.
They didn't have to look too far into the past to find an example of resiliency, leaning on their comeback OT win over the Calgary Flames the night before. Even that couldn't be called a one-off, not with the Islanders roaring back from a 3-0 hole against the Colorado Avalanche on Oct. 29.
As far as the Islanders were concerned, the score didn't totally reflect the game, not with two of the Rangers three goals coming on the power play. They knew they just needed one, and preferably quick.
Enter Pelech.
The defenseman picked a good time to score his first goal of the season, sniping a wrister past Igor Shesterkin 14 seconds into the third period. It was the spark that ignited the Islanders comeback, cutting the deficit to one with 19:46 to play.
"When you get that one, you definitely start to believe a little bit more and now you almost have a full period," Nelson said.

Nelson wound up tying the score with the Islanders second power-play goal of the game, ripping a Noah Dobson feed for a one-timer at 12:46. For both teams, it was a familiar feeling, as the Rangers had coughed up a 2-0 lead in a 3-2 OT loss to the Detroit Red Wings in their most recent contest.
This time, the Islanders didn't need overtime. Lee showed the Islanders killer instinct, scoring the winner less than two minutes later, skating undetected to the front of the net after Oliver Wahlstrom and Kaapo Kakko got mixed up along the boards, taking an Alex Romanov feed and tucking it behind Shesterkin.
"This is a veteran group," Lee said. "This group has been through a lot and so a two-goal deficit going into the third, [there's] nothing to lose, but an opportunity to have a great 20 minutes. We'll take that."
The Islanders have now outscored opponents 25-11 in the third period this season.

VARLAMOV'S SHUTOUT STREAK ENDS, BUT VETERAN STEPS UP TO SAVE COMEBACK:

Semyon Varlamov's streak was bound to end eventually.
After shutting out the Rangers four straight games at Madison Square Garden, the Blueshirts finally solved Varlamov at 11:36 of the first period. Varlamov made an initial point blank save on Vitali Kravtsov in the low slot, but a turnover was quickly cycled around the Islanders zone, with K'Andre Miller slipping a pass to Filip Chytil, who snapped a shot stick side past the Isles netminder.
In total, Varlamov's shutout streak at MSG lasted 251:36. The win streak, however, continued.
Varlamov stopped 37-of-40 shots in Tuesday's win, playing a key role in the Islanders win. With the team down 3-2 in the third period, the Russian netminder stepped up, stopping Jimmy Vesey on a breakaway, making a heads up play to turn his body to avoid potentially sliding into his net with the puck. It could have scuttled the comeback bid, instead it saved it.
"It was a game-saving save," Lambert said. "It was really the turning point in the game."
With the win, Varlamov improved to 3-2-0 with a 2.93 GAA and a .913 SV%.
Conversely, Igor Shesterkin, who stopped 22-of-26 shots in the loss, dropped to 1-7-1 lifetime against the Islanders with a 3.15 GAA and a .884 SV%.

POWER PLAYS COME TO PLAY:

Of the seven combined goals on Tuesday night, four came from power play, with each team netting two goals with the man advantage.
The Islanders power play went 2-for-3 on the evening, getting goals from Nelson and Palmieri, while the penalty kill went 2-for-4.
ISLANDERS 4, RANGERS 3
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KINGER'S CALLS
Palmieri's PPG
Pelech's Snipe
Nelson Ties It
Lee Wins It
First the good, the Islanders power play scored two goals for the first time since Oct. 23 against Florida. Palmieri was in the right place at the right time, cashing in on a Ryan Pulock rebound after a Zach Parise touch in front of the net.
For Nelson, his goal came on more of a set play, teeing up a one-timer from the top of the right circle on the tying goal. The power play has now scored in four of the Islanders last five games.
On the other hand, the Islanders penalty kill has now allowed six goals over the past six games after allowing a pair of goals in the second period.
Chris Kreider scored the Rangers' first power-play goal 22 seconds into the middle, knocking in a backdoor feed from Artemi Panarin off the rush. Kreider, who had 26 power-play goals for the Rangers last season, extended his point streak to six games in the process.
Vincent Trocheck scored the Rangers second power-play goal at 13:47 of the second, scooping up a Panarin rebound that popped out of Varlamov's glove after being knocked by Scott Mayfield. Trocheck made quick work of the loose puck, lifting a backhand high over the downed Varlamov.
Sandwiched between the two goals, the Rangers nearly had another. Panarin's pass to the front of the net caromed off Scott Mayfield and went under Varlamov. It nearly crossed the line, nearly 90%, but after a lengthy review, it did not stand.
Despite allowing six goals in six games, the Isles PK is still third in the NHL with an 87% kill rate.

NEXT GAME:

The Islanders take on the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday night at UBS Arena. Puck drop is at 7:30 p.m.