3 Takeaways: Islanders Top Red Wings 5-2

The New York Islanders defeated the Detroit Red Wings 5-2 on Thursday night at UBS Arena. The win marked the Islanders' second-straight win, sixth-in-a-row at home and the team is now 7-1-1 in their last nine games.
Anthony Beauvillier (1G, 1A) got the scoring going with the new second-fastest goal in franchise history at nine seconds into the game while Brock Nelson added two goals (including one on the power play) and Oliver Wahlstrom and Josh Bailey also scored. Anders Lee handed out three assists and Mathew Barzal dished out two helpers.

Ilya Sorokin made 37 saves on 39 shots in the win.
Pius Suter and Sam Gagner scored for Detroit, while former Islander goaltender Thomas Greiss, who made his first return to Long Island since his departure in the fall of 2020, made 13 saves on 16 shots through the first two periods of play. Alex Nedeljkovic replaced Greiss for the final 20 minutes of play and made eight saves on 10 shots.
"We've committed to one another in the sense of playing the right way and finishing this thing out strong," Lee said. "We're in a position where let's just go for it, see what happens, play our best hockey and try to put everything together that we've been working for into our hockey to close this thing out. That's all we're doing."

ISLES GET TO GAME EARLY WITH FAST START

For the second-straight game the Islanders not only implemented a commanding offense but asserted a dominant defense in the decisive win. In true Islander-hockey fashion, Thursday's win was supported by balanced scoring up and down the lineup, strong special teams executions and terrific goaltending.
"We're just having fun," Nelson said. "We're reading what the game presents and reading the plays off one another and being confident. Tonight, was no different."
"I'm sure a lot of people counted us out now at this point with little chance," Nelson said. "But also having fun just leads you to play freely, you're not thinking and right now, it's leading to win. Can't mistake fun for losing, but we're playing with good structure and having fun with it."
From the get-go, the Islanders raced out to a 2-0 lead heading into the first intermission with their effort bolstered by scoring the game's icebreaker just nine seconds after puck drop.

Despite losing the opening faceoff, Lee bolted for the loose puck and was like a dog on a bone as he outmuscled Detroit defenseman Filip Hronek for possession. From the left corner of the rink, the Islanders captain sent a pass to a crashing Beauvillier who zipped past Marc Staal. Beauvillier sent a low shot blocker side of Greiss to give the Islanders a 1-0 lead with what is now the second-fast goal in franchise history behind only Bryan Trottier's five-second goal he scored on March 22, 1984.
Despite a push from Detroit, the Islanders doubled their lead 2-0 at 16:07. On a near 200-foot solo effort Mathew Barzal showcased his speed as he jetted up ice. He turned on the brakes in the left faceoff circle and dropped a pass back to Wahlstrom where the winger sent his shot short side of Greiss.
During the second period, the Islanders extended their lead 3-0 on a power-play goal just over midway in the period. Barzal drew a roughing penalty on Detroit's Taro Hirose at 10:39. After holding off a counterattack from the Red Wings' penalty kill, Barzal sprinted up the ice and tossed a pass to Lee along the left wall. Lee sent a pass to Nelson - who is donning an 'A' for the Islanders as Cal Clutterbuck is out of the lineup - in the high slot. While falling down, the centerman heeled his shot top shelf of Greiss at 11:39.

The Islanders got off to another fast start early in the third period as they increased their lead 4-0 on a transition play. Jean-Gabriel Pageau made a stretch pass up ice for Kyle Palmieri who played Josh Bailey in the left faceoff circle. The veteran winger banked his wrist shot off Nedeljkovic and into the net at 1:19.
Detroit robbed Sorokin of the shutout at 13:25 as Suter tipped a blistering Hronek one timer from the point over the goalie's glove.
In a back-and-forth sequence, both teams countered - and capitalized - on turnovers to up the scoring.
Shortly after the Red Wing's first goal, Nelson stripped Tyler Bertuzzi of the puck along the boards and skated up ice. He sent a pass over to Lee, who played Beauvillier to his left. Beauvillier sent a feed back to Nelson across the slot where he buried the buck on the backdoor for his team-leading and career-best 29th goal of the season at 14:07.
The Red Wings made it a 5-2 game at 15:18, as Jakub Vrana set up Gagner with a cross-slot feed and Gagner roofed his shot over Sorokin's glove.

STRONG SHOWING FROM SOROKIN

Sorokin got back in the win column with his dominant effort as he made his 42nd start of the season and improved his record to 22-13-7 with his 37 saves on 39 shots.

Despite the Islanders taking a 2-0 lead in the first period, Sorokin was solid in keeping the Red Wings off the scoresheet as he made 13 saves.
The Russian netminder was particularly sharp for the team shortly after Wahlstrom's goal as the Islanders were left to kill off a 5-on-3 for 1:41 as a result of a Wahlstrom holding penalty at 16:12 and a Pageau cross checking penalty at 16:32. Sorokin made a series of slaves but was especially impressive on a flexible split pad save to deny Bertuzzi on the doorstep.
Sorokin continued his stalwart goaltending in the second period as he denied another set of 13 shots against Detroit.
ISLANDERS 5, RED WINGS 2
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Full Highlights

KINGER'S CALLS
Beauvillier Scores Nine Seconds In
Wahlstrom Doubles the Scoring
Nelson's Power-Play Goal
Bailey's Wrister
Nelson's Second Goal of the Game

STEPPING IT UP WITH STRONG PENALTY KILL

With Thursday morning's news that forward Clutterbuck will miss the remainder of the season with a shoulder injury that will require surgery and Scott Mayfield will miss four-to-six weeks with a lower body injury, the Islanders noted the need for players to step in and fill their respective roles.
They got just that.
Specifically, Kieffer Bellows and Sebastian Aho drew in the lineup. Bellows skated alongside Casey Cizikas and Matt Martin, while Aho was paired with Andy Greene.
The Islanders knew it would be difficult to fill the voids on their penalty kill units with two of their top PKers out. Heading into the game Mayfield was the ice time leader for penalty kill with 140:32 minutes while Clutterbuck was first among forwards and third overall at 118:28 minutes, but the team was 3-for-3 on the penalty kill against Detroit including 1:41 of a 5-on-3 in the first period.
"I thought the whole game was teetering on that five-on-three," Trotz said. "We did an outstanding job, Sorokin had to make one really good save and then the crew out there did a really good job… All three of those guys did, but Zee was really important in that, he covered a lot of space with that stick and that body and to me it was a tipping point. They get back in the game if they score one or two or put the kids to bed after that."

NEXT GAME:

The Islanders ship up to Boston to take on the Bruins Saturday afternoon at 12:30 p.m.