5 Takeaways: Islanders Win Ninth in a Row with 3-2 Shootout Win

Feeling fine, with nine.
The New York Islanders rose victorious with a 3-2 shootout win over the New Jersey Devils on Sunday evening to extend their winning streak to nine games and their point streak to 12-consecutive games (11-0-1). The win also completed a three-game sweep over the Devils.
Following a hard-fought overtime, Oliver Wahlstrom delivered the victory in the fourth round of the shootout after Anthony Beauvillier also scored to keep the Isles alive. In regulation, Kieffer Bellows and Brock Nelson scored for the Islanders. The win was backstopped by a strong effort from Ilya Sorokin who made 29 saves on 31 shots and was sharp in the shootout.

It wasn't the Islanders prettiest win this season, but it was a team win and an important one in their larger scope as it reflected their, 'next man up' mentality.
"We have good leadership, obviously [Anders Lee] isn't with us and we know what he's done, but you have the other guys," Head Coach Barry Trotz said. "You've got [Josh Bailey], [Nelson], [Cal Clutterbuck], you just go down the list. Even a guy like Andy Greene has a real calming effect on everyone in the room, a ton of experience and this year we've added some young guys so I think these kind of situations where you have to adapt and find ways to find, play different styles, different style of team, it's a good learning process to go through with the group and they've done a really good job handling it."
Here are five takeaways from the Islanders 3-2 win:

NIFTY NINE

Sunday marked the final of three-straight meetings between the Islanders and Devils and the game followed the trend of getting narrower and narrower with every meeting. New Jersey put forth a hard fought battle and did a sturdy job of giving the Islanders a hard time, but the Islanders inevitably earned the precious two points in the shootout.
The game began with a bookended first-period goals from the Islanders as Bellows scored early on and Nelson scored an important goal in the final second of the period. In between strikes from the Islanders, New Jersey converted on the first power play of the game to score their first goal from Janne Kuokannen.
Bellows put the Islanders on the board at 4:18 on somewhat of a fluke play. Sebastian Aho's high-soaring point shot deflected off the Islander crest on Bellows chest and into the net to give the Islanders a 1-0 lead. The goal was Bellows' third goal in the last two games, after the 22-year-old winger joined the lineup on Saturday - where he scored twice - in his ninth game of the season.
The Devils whipped up a quick response not even a minute later as they took advantage of their first power play after Greene took a delay of game penalty at 4:55. At the top of the goal mouth, Kuokannen buried a rebound that had been kicked out on Sorokin's initial save on Kyle Palmeri's shot from distance. Kuokannen's tying goal came just 54 seconds after Bellows' tally and was the Finnish winger's fourth goal in as many games for New Jersey.

As the clock was winding down heading into the first intermission, Nelson followed the stereotypical 'get pucks on net' cliche and in turn, provided the Islanders a 2-1 lead and a huge boost heading into the second period.
Nelson corralled a rimmed puck from the boards and beat Wedgewood with one second on the clock with his wrist shot from the top of the right faceoff circle. The stunner was Nelson's 12th goal of the season and his sixth goal in as many games.
"That's probably one you're not normally shooting," Nelson said of the goal. "But in that situation, with guys counting down, I was just trying to turn and fire something through. It found a way to get through. It had some eyes, got through some bodies, got through a screen. You take goals] any way you can get them. Getting one at the end of the period, that's always nice."
The Devils evened the score 2-2 in what was a rather uneventful and uninspiring second period. New Jersey implemented a push and outshot the Islanders 12-10 heading into the second intermission.
Shortly after Cal Clutterbuck went to the Islanders room - but returned for the third period - following a collision with Miles Wood, the Devils tied the score 2-2. The Islanders turned the puck over at their blueline allowing New Jersey to counter and work the zone. On a quick passing sequence, Dmitry Kulikov and P.K. Subban found Yegor Sharangovich all alone in the high slot where he wired his low wrist shot past Sorokin's blocker side.
The third period featured another uneventful slate as both teams struggled to settle into an offensive rhythm. New Jersey held a 10-9 shot on goal edge and was able to hang on to force overtime.
ISLANDERS AT DEVILS
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Bellows Opens Scoring
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Bellows Opens Scoring
Nelson's Buzzer Beater
Early in OT, the Devils appeared to have won the game as Subban rifled in a shot from the high point, but the Islanders immediately challenged the play for offside. Upon review, the goal was overturned and the footage proved true as Jesper Bratt was offside on Pavel Zacha's zone entry at the Islanders' blueline.
At 2:36 into overtime, New Jersey was awarded a four-on-three power play as Nelson took a hooking penalty. The Islanders penalty kill and Sorokin admirably kept the Devils from converting and thus, kept the game alive and into a shootout.
"Great penalty kill in OT with [Scott Mayfield], [Adam Pelech] and [Casey Cizikas]," Trotz said. "Outstanding job and [Sorokin] and gave us a chance to get to that shootout. They scored off their first shot and I thought [Sorokin] really held the fort after that."
Nikita Gusev beat Sorokin in the first round of the shootout, but the Russian rookie netminder stoned the efforts of Bratt, Zacha and Jack Hughes in the subsequent rounds.
Wedgewood denied the shootout efforts of Jordan Eberle and Mathew Bazal in the opening two rounds, but Beauvillier and Wahlstrom showcased their slick shootout moves to help the Islanders claim the 'W.'
"Really huge goal by [Beauvillier] when the pressure was on," Trotz said. "If you don't score, it's game over. You get that goal and keep yourself alive and Wahlstrom gets the winner. Not the prettiest, it was drawn out, the longest 60-minute game we've had in a while that's for sure."

STREAKING SOROKIN

Make that six-straight wins between the pipes for Sorokin.
The 25-year-old entered his ninth start of the season with five-straight wins, but valiantly earned his sixth win on Sunday night with his 29 saves in the shootout win. The netminder once again played a solid game where he made timely and clutch saves despite seeing action in increments over the course of 60 minutes, overtime and a shootout.
Sorokin returned between the pipes for the first time since March 11, where he backstopped the Islanders to a 5-3 win over the Devils with his 19 saves on 22 shots.

PAGEAU, DOBSON PLACED ON NHL COVID PROTOCOL LIST, CZARNIK AND KOMAROV DRAW IN LINEUP

Ahead of Sunday's game, Trotz noted in his media availability that there would be, 'one or two lineup changes,' and sure enough - when the team took the ice for warmup - it was evident that Jean-Gabriel Pageau was not on the ice. Come puck drop, he was listed on the NHL's COVID-19 Protocol list at 5 p.m. ET.
Pageau didn't end up being the Islanders sole player to be exempt from playing on Sunday due to being named to the COVID-19 list, Noah Dobson was named to it as well. Except, the Islanders were informed much closer to puck drop of Dobson than they were with Pageau.
"We were informed before the game that there were some discrepancies," Trotz said. "We found out Pageau] a little bit earlier. With [Dobson] it was really last minute. He was in warmup and it was right before the National Anthem. The last part came in, there wasn't any question so we removed him from the game and Sebastian jumped in. Really good job by the NHL. We had to adjust. We knew we would have to do some of this, every team has had to. We're just want to do what's right and keep everybody safe."
It was the first game this season - and the first since joining the Islanders at the 2020 NHL Trade Deadline - that Pageau missed a game. The center had played the night prior in Saturday's 3-2 win, where he logged 18:56 and threw a game-high of six hits.
In Pageau's place, Austin Czarnik rejoined the lineup for the first time since Feb. 22 and dressed in his third game of the season for the Islanders. The 28-year-old centered Pageau's usual line alongside Oliver Wahlstrom.
The Islanders also saw a few other lineup changes as Leo Komarov joined the lineup on Czarnik and Wahlstrom's line in place of Michael Dal Colle. It was the first time since March 9 that the veteran forward was in the lineup. Czarnik played 12:50 - including 1:12 on the power play and 24 seconds on the penalty kill - had one shot, one block and one hit.
Komarov skated in his 14th game of the season on Sunday night and logged 10:35 and threw one hit.
Nick Leddy & Sebastian Aho

AHO MAKES SEASON DEBUT

For the first time this season, the Islanders' d-core saw its first change to the lineup of the season as Sebastian Aho took Dobson's place alongside Greene. In his season debut - which was over a year since his last time in professional game - Aho 10:26 TOI and assisted on Bellows' game-opening goal early in the first period.
While the news of Pageau's absence after being named to the NHL's COVID-19 Protocol list came with notice prior to warmup, the subsequent listing of Dobson didn't unfold until after warmup. Aho had already undressed and was ready to hit the showers when he was notified by the Islanders coaching staff he would be in a NHL lineup for the first time since March 18, 2018 and the first time in a professional lineup since March 11, 2020.
"I was just warming up on the ice as usual, as I've done the last, a lot of games in a row now," Aho said. "I took my gear off and then as soon as I got my gear off they told me I was in, so I put it back on and went back out there.
"I haven't played hockey in pretty much a year so it was different," Aho continued. "I felt okay, I made some good plays and some not so good plays, but that's to be expected. Overall, I felt okay. It was fun."

POWER PLAY STRUGGLES

While the Islanders picked up three-straight win over the Devils to further boost their winning and point streaks, they've still had areas of their game that could use some work.
In the last three games against the Devils' 30th-ranked penalty kill unit (68.9%), the Islanders power play has gone 0-for-13. It's a drastic difference compared to how successful the Islanders' power play was a few weeks prior when it finished February with the NHL's top-ranked power play for the month, going 9-for-22 (40.9%), they've struggled as of late to convert.

NEXT GAME:

The Islanders continue their three-game road trip as they take on the Washington Capitals on Tuesday night. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Capital One Arena.