Recap: Isles Stun Jets With 5-4 Comeback Win

Robin Lehner summed up the New York Islanders stunning 5-4 comeback win over Winnipeg rather succinctly.
"Wow."
Wow is right. Down 4-3 with two minutes to play Casey Cizikas and Jordan Eberle scored goals 33 seconds apart as the Islanders scored a resilient - and important - two points in regulation against the Central Division leaders.
BOXSCORE | TROTZ POSTGAME | THE SKINNY

"The mindset of our bench, you could feel it. We felt like we were going to come back," said Eberle, who had three points (2G, 1A) in the win. "We liked the way that we were playing, we were creating chances. We felt like if we kept going, we'd come out with some points."

And they were big points. With the win, the Islanders (97 points) leapfrogged the Pittsburgh Penguins (95 points) for second in the Metropolitan Division and lowered their magic number to clinch a playoff berth to two, thanks also in part to Columbus' regulation win over Montreal.
"It's a huge character win for the team," Eberle said. "It's one of those games that builds your team and moves you forward."
Thursday's comeback effort would have been big at game 47. The fact that it came at game 77 - and immediately after a 4-0 loss in Columbus on Tuesday - only amplified its importance.
"That's probably the biggest win of the year," said Manitoba native Ryan Pulock, who finished the game with three assists.

Thursday's win was one of the more resilient efforts the Islanders had put forth this season. They trailed early and often, falling behind 13 seconds into the first period on the first of two Adam Lowry deflections in the opening 6:11. Instead of conceding, the Isles fought back.
Mathew Barzal ended a 19-game goal drought to make it 2-1 midway through the first period, giving the Isles some life, while Lehner (33 saves) robbed Scheifele of a potential backbreaker with a desperation save. When Brandon Tanev made it 3-1 at 3:46 of the second - scoring on a defacto two-man advantage after two broken sticks in one sequence for Cizikas and Cal Clutterbuck - the Isles answered. Anders Lee deflected his 28th of the season less than three minutes later, keeping the Isles - who felt the tide turning - in business.
"It was a bit of a tough start, but we stuck with it," Pulock said. "We came out and had a really good second and you feel that even though they still had the lead, we had some momentum. Even in the third when they scored, we got back on our horse and stuck with it."

Even Mark Scheifele's power-play deflection to make it 4-2 didn't faze the Islanders, who felt like they'd created enough to get back into the game. Again, they answered quickly, as Eberle scored his first of the night 1:03 later to hang around.
"I like our mentality, it was almost like we were going to win this game and how much more can you throw at us and we're going to fight through it," Head Coach Barry Trotz said. "That was a resilient effort tonight."
That confidence came to fruition down the stretch. Cizikas went to the net and deposited his 20th goal of the season at 18:14 off Pulock and Anthony Beauvillier rebounds. With the clock winding down, Barzal set up Eberle from below the goal line and the veteran showed patience, moving into the slot and beating Hellebuyck for the comeback capper at 18:47.
"You just look at the standings and it's a huge win. You need some of those to feel good," Trotz said. "From what I'm told, I wasn't here last year, but that game would have been a lot of, 'Okay, well we'll wait for the next one.' And that wasn't the case. That hasn't been the case all year. That's what is great about this group."