3 Takeaways: Isles Rally for 3-2 OT Win Over Kings

The New York Islanders were the first team to successfully defend their castle against the LA Kings, scoring a dramatic 3-2 OT win on Saturday night at UBS Arena.

JG Pageau scored the OT winner 13 seconds into the extra frame, completing an Islanders comeback as the team rallied out of an 0-2 hole. Anders Lee scored a pair of third period tallies to get the game to overtime, as the Isles scored their first win of the season when trailing after two periods. It came against a top-tier opponent as well, as the Kings entered the game on an 11-game road winning streak, an NHL record to start a season.

“We know what we're capable of and I think that was an example of that tonight,” Lee said. “It's one of those things where you just have to continue to push through and get a bounce here or there every once in a while. We earned that win.”

Adrian Kempe (PPG) and Vladislav Gavrikov scored second period goals for the Kings, while Cam Talbot stopped 27 of 30 shots in the overtime loss. Ilya Sorokin stopped 34 of 36 shots in the win.

In the process, the Isles extended their point streak to five games (4-0-1) and have earned points in 11 of their last 12 games (7-1-4). The win also snapped the Isles four-game losing streak against LA.

ISLES RALLY IN THIRD PERIOD:

The Islanders third period issues have been well-documented this season, but on Saturday night, the Isles flipped the script.

Trailing 2-0 – against a Kings team who was 13-0-0 when leading after two periods – the Islanders dug deep, regaining some of the offensive traction that eluded them in a lopsided second period where they were outshot 15-6, outscored 2-0 and got into penalty trouble.

The turnaround started in the locker room, with several players remaking about the team’s ability to rally in the third.

“We knew it was a big challenge, but at the same time I think we took it as a great opportunity,” Pageau said. “Coming into the third, we're like let's just empty the tank and if we go down let's go down swinging.”

The Isles began to tip the scales, generating six high-danger scoring chances at five-on-five (per Natural Stat Trick) to the Kings’ three. Sorokin made his mark on the game with approximately eight minutes left, stretching out to deny Anze Kopitar to keep the Isles down two and within striking distance, and with a breakaway save on Adrian Kempe when tied 2-2.

While the Kings’ stingy style didn’t give the Isles much early on, they broke through on Lee’s first of the night, as the captain found space in front of the net to slam home a Mike Reilly rebound at 8:42 of the third period.

Lee tied the score with 4:11 to play, deflecting a Scott Mayfield point shot and then sweeping the rebound past Talbot. The goal was the product of the Islanders winning an offensive zone draw.

The Isles went for the kill in regulation, with Kyle Palmieri hitting the post with just over a minute to play. The Islanders eventually finished the job in overtime, with Simon Holmstrom springing Pageau for a breakaway and the French-Canadian center backhanding the winner five-hole on Cam Talbot.

“The biggest thing was sticking with what was giving us success not getting frustrated by being down two,” Lee said. “We played hard till the end and did whatever we could to pop one or two and tie this thing up. So just really proud of the guys for honestly sticking with it and just kind of pushing through.”

LEE LIFTS ISLANDERS WITH TWO GOALS:

Anders Lee was credited as the unsung hero of Thursday’s 7-3 win over Columbus, making the little plays that helped Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat combine for seven points (4G, 3A) in the win.

On Saturday, the captain took center stage, recording his first multi-goal game of the season, scoring both goals to rally the Isles out of an 0-2 hole. It was also Lee’s first multi-goal game since March 9.

“He was a beast tonight,” Barzal said of Lee. “You see him on that goal just not going to be denied.”

Lee finished the game with two goals, a team-high tying four shots and a pair of hits in the win. After recording one goal in his first 15 games, Lee has six goals in his last 11 games.

“He's been playing really well,” Head Coach Lane Lambert said. “He's been leading. He's been forechecking, he's battling. He's getting to the netfront and he got rewarded tonight and so I'm very happy for him.”

BORTUZZO MAKES ISLES DEBUT:

One day after being acquired for the Islanders, Robert Bortuzzo made his debut, skating 16:03 with two hits, one block and one giveaway on a pairing with Samuel Bolduc. Bortuzzo lived up to his billing, throwing a big hit on Kings leading goal scorer Trevor Moore on his first shift and earned positive reviews from Lambert.

“He's a presence for our team. He's a presence in the room,” Lambert said. “He certainly communicates with Bolduc. I think Bolduc's playing well and I think that Robert has an impact on that and had an impact on that tonight. I liked his game.”

Lambert liked his game so much he had Bortuzzo out on the ice with a minute to play in a tie game, citing his 13 years of experience. Bortuzzo appreciated the vote of confidence in game one.

“Anytime you can earn the trust that's all you're trying to do is just earn their trust as much as possible,” Bortuzzo said.

It was a whirlwind for the defenseman, but he was impressed both with the Isles resolve between periods and for the atmosphere at UBS Arena.

“It's been a whirlwind 24 hours, but very exciting at the same time come a team and group of guys and organization that's hungry and fan base that was rocking there tonight in the third period and everything. It was just a fun game to be able to jump into.”

NEXT GAME:

The Islanders host the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday night. Note the early puck drop of 7 p.m.