Recap: Isles Rake Leafs In 6-1 Win

Nearly everyone at the sold out NYCB Live got what they came for on Thursday night.
The Islanders got two much-needed points, while the fans had their chance to express themselves during John Tavares' return. In a way they worked hand-in-hand, as the team fed off the electric crowd to a convincing 6-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
"I'll tell you what, this place is hard to come in and play," Head Coach Barry Trotz said. "We love their energy, they give us energy. We try to reciprocate and give them something to cheer about."
BOXSCORE | TROTZ POSTGAME

Even without the playoff-level crowd - Robin Lehner called the loudest building he'd ever played in and said he couldn't hear the music in warmups - the Isles knew the stakes of Thursday's game. After a self-described lull in Western Canada, the Islanders were back in their Metro-leading form on Thursday night.
Anthony Beauvillier, Anders Lee, Casey Cizikas, Valtteri Filppula, Nick Leddy and Brock Nelson scored for the Islanders, while Lehner made 34 saves. In the process, the Islanders racked up points 80 and 81, surpassing their total from last season.
"We got back to our game," Lee said. "I think it was pretty easy to feed off that energy that was going on. Obviously there was a lot riding on this game and for us it was to get back on track. I think we put our best foot forward."
Even with the Coliseum pulsing from puck drop, it was the Leafs who drew first blood, with Zach Hyman burying a Mitch Marner feed at 13:33. The Islanders answered right back, with Beauvillier finishing off a three-on-one rush with a one-timer past Garret Sparks at 16:16.

Lee's 22nd of the season made it 2-1 at 4:49, but the decisive stretch came shortly after. The Islanders challenged and successfully overturned Hyman's would-be tying goal, which drew big-time cheers from the Isles faithful. That coupled with Cizikas' shorthanded goal at 13:40 tilted the ice into the Isles favor and the team floored it from there.
"That's a great call from the guys in the room to challenge it," Cizikas said. "That was definitely a turning point.
The Isles continued to pour it on. Filppula grabbed and buried an Ladd rebound to make it 4-1 with a minute to play in the second period and Leddy's point shot deflected off Auston Matthews and in 33 seconds into the third. Nelson rounded out the scoring with his 20th goal of the season.

In the end, the Isles got exactly what they needed out of Thursday's game, two critical points as the playoff race heats up. With an emotional win in the books, the focus shifts to Friday's Metropolitan tilt against the Washington Capitals.
"Tomorrow night we've got to bring our A game again," Trotz said. "It's another important game. We need the points."

Tweet from @RobinLehner: Wow. That was insane! Huge 2 points. #yesyesyes

BOYCHUK HAS SKATE SCARE:

Johnny Boychuk had a brief scare at the end of the second period, as Mitch Marner's skate clipped him in the throat, causing the Islanders defenseman to rush to the room. He skipped a few shifts at the start of the third, but returned to the game.
Trotz said the skate scraped Boychuk in a vulnerable place and was "mili-inches" from a very ugly scene on the ice. The coach said he was relieved that Boychuk escaped without serious injury, but called it a sobering moment.

NEXT GAME:

The Islanders take on the Washington Capitals on Friday night. The Isles are 9-0-1 in the second half of back-to-backs this season.