The New York Islanders gutted out an important 2-1 win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday night, digging deep in their fifth game in seven days.
Bo Horvat and Brock Nelson (GWG) scored for the Islanders, while Brandon Saad scored the lone goal for Vegas. Ilya Sorokin made 33 of 34 saves in his seventh straight win, while Ilya Samsonov made 12 saves on 14 shots in the loss.
The Islanders swept the season series from the Knights 2-0-0 after they shut them out 4-0 in Vegas on Jan. 9, but more importantly the Islanders picked up two more points in the standings that pulled the Islanders (57 points) within three points of the Tampa Bay Lightning (60 points) and Boston Bruins (60 points), who hold wild card spots in the Eastern Conference. The Isles have two games in hand on the Bruins, but the Bolts have played one fewer game.
“They’re a tough team,” Nelson said. “Every win right now is important and crucial for us, doesn’t matter the opponent. But to beat that team, they’re one of the better teams in the league.”
The Islanders have won eight of their last nine games, and 11 of their last 14.