3 Takeaways: Islanders Win in Thrilling Third Period Comeback

The New York Islanders beat the Colorado Avalanche 5-4 in a thriller on Saturday night at UBS Arena. Trailing 3-0 in the second period, the Islanders scored five straight goals for their first big comeback win of the year.
Brock Nelson's empty-netter ended up as the game-winner, while Zach Parise, Noah Dobson, Scott Mayfield and Anthony Beauvillier also scored in the win, all but Dobson's coming in the third period. Evan Rodrigues (2G), Mikko Rantanen and Alex Newhook scored for the Avalanche.

Head Coach Lane Lambert called a critical time out just after the Avalanche's third consecutive goal in the second period - and second in a 1:05 span. After that, it was all Islanders as they rattled off five straight goals to take back the lead and win the game, their third straight victory.
"A great week from us, we played some really good teams and going back-to-back, Carolina, Colorado beating them both, we're playing good right now," Beauvillier said. "We're playing good hockey and it feels right."

ISLES COME BACK IN THE THIRD PERIOD

The Islanders had their work cut out for them as they entered the third period down 3-1, but came into the period with confidence. After a gritty early goal from Zach Parise brought them within one, the Islanders scored two goals in 17 seconds to take a 4-3 lead.
Just after a rocky Islanders power play expired, Mathew Barzal, Cal Clutterbuck, Casey Cizikas, Adam Pelech and Scott Mayfield worked an extended shift in the offensive zone. After taking multiple shots on net and collecting his own rebounds, Barzal fed Mayfield down in the crease, and Mayfield tipped it in for the game-tying goal.
"That was an incredible shift for (Barzal)," Clutterbuck said. "He has the ability to do that, and the more that he uses his puck handling and skating ability in order to make people back off, he's going to be elite and he did that. He's done that for the last three or four games now. He's really starting to drive offense. Great to see out of a guy who's got incredible talent."

Just seconds later, Anders Lee recovered a loose puck in the defensive zone and sprung Beauvillier, who charged down the ice on a two-on-one with Brock Nelson. Beauvillier faked the pass and decided to shoot, beating Georgiev stick side to give the Islanders their first of the game.
The Islanders scored their fourth goal of the period, as Nelson netted an empty-net goal after Cale Makar broke his stick at the blue line, which ended up being the eventual game-winner after the Avs came within one on a late Alex Newhook goal.
The third period rally was a microcosm of the Islanders strong third period play this season. To date the Islanders have scored 17 third period goals this season, which leads the NHL.
"Everyone kept pushing," Beauvillier said. "Everyone believed we could come back, and just one of those games where we can get momentum after a goal and then keep pushing, pushing, pushing. There's a lot of character in this room and a lot of leadership so it wasn't a doubt we were going to try. Good things happened and we played the right way, that's a full team effort."

DEFENSEMEN LIGHT THE LAMP

Noah Dobson scored his third goal of the season in the second period. Josh Bailey made a big hit to free Oliver Wahlstrom to recover the puck. Wahlstrom cycled the puck up to Alexander Romanov, who found Dobson wide open in the slot for a wrister.
ISLANDERS 5, AVALANCHE 4
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[Socios.com Postgame Photos](https://www.nhl.com/islanders/photos/islanders-avalanche-oct-29-2022/g-336994066 )
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Postgame: Lambert
Postgame: Beauvillier
Postgame: Dobson
Postgame: Varlamov
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KINGER'S CALLS
Dobson Clapper
Parise Jams It Home
Mayfield Finishes Barzal Pass
Beauvillier's Snipe
Nelson's ENG
"From (Dobson's) goal, I thought the momentum shifted, and everyone believed in our chance to come back, and the dressing room was positive after the second," Beauvillier said. "It was crazy, that building when it gets going, fans are just insane."
Mayfield scored after a long offensive possession, on a tip in from a feed from Barzal. With the goal, Mayfield tied his goal total from all last season in just three games, with three.
The Islanders are in first in the league in goals scored by defensemen, with nine, with three coming from Dobson and Mayfield each. Both Dobson and Mayfield hadn't scored a goal since the second game of the season, against the Anaheim Ducks. Dobson now has six points (3G, 3A) in nine games this year and Mayfield has four points (3G, 1A). Dobson also finished the game with a team-high 10 shot attempts.
"You see it with us coming across, slipping up a little more, trying to get our gaps a bit better and then join the rush," Mayfield said. "There are times when we sometimes get beat with that pinch or try to overthink too much, so it's just finding those areas where we can go, where we have to back up."

ISLES PENALTY KILL STREAK ENDS

After the Islanders set a franchise record for the most consecutive penalty kills to start a season (28), they finally met their match early in the second period. The Colorado Avalanche have the NHL's best power play so far this season, and converted on their first opportunity, as Evan Rodrigues buried a shot in the slot off a feed from Mikko Rantanen. The Islanders then killed their first penalty of the game shortly after and ended the game 2-for-3 on the penalty kill.
The goal also snapped the Islanders streak of going eight games to start the season without allowing a power-play goal, which was an NHL record. The Islanders' PK is 30-for-31 to start the year.

NEXT GAME

The Islanders head back out on the road for a three-game road trip starting on Tuesday night in Chicago. Puck drop is at 8:30 p.m. eastern.