Mat Barzal scored the game-winning goal 68 seconds in and then the New York Islanders decided to add eight more, just for insurance. There was more, of course — much more — to their 9-0 blowout of the New Jersey Devils, including a classic story of hockey goaltending. Ilya Sorokin made a triumphant return from […]
Mat Barzal scored the game-winning goal 68 seconds in and then the New York Islanders decided to add eight more, just for insurance.
There was more, of course — much more — to their 9-0 blowout of the New Jersey Devils, including a classic story of hockey goaltending. Ilya Sorokin made a triumphant return from injury to set the Islanders franchise mark for shutouts (again, the Islanders emptied the bench after the milestone…but that’s because they won the damned game).
Sorokin absolutely earned it, keeping the score close, then comfortable, then laughable on his way to making 45 saves. At the other end, the Islanders scored on three of their first four shots as they picked corners on Jacob Markstrom all night long.
The Islanders didn’t have tons of chances early on, but most of them emerged from an increasingly frustrated Devils squad getting stymied at one end, then letting the Isles cruise down to the other.
Oh, also: Anthony Duclair returned from two games of healthy scratches to get his fourth NHL hat trick and first with the Isles. (Also: he was +6.) It was a five-point night for Duclair, who only figured in just over half the Islanders goals, as they tied the franchise record for nine-goal margin of victory.
It should be noted that all of this happened with top scorer Bo Horvat still out of the lineup, and all of this could have gone very differently if Sorokin didn’t make some seriously acrobatic saves to keep the score 1-0, 2-0, 3-0 in the first period.
[NHL Gamecenter | Game Summary | Event Summary | Natural Stat Trick]
J-G Pageau and Jonathan Drouin get the raspberry award for being the only two Islanders not to be a plus on the +/- ledger. On the other side, someone who goes by the name of Arseny Gristyuk was the only Devil not hit with a minus.
Barzal’s opener was a rare but incisive one-timer, but he also had another beautiful long cross-slot pass to set up Duclair’s hat trick goal. The one-timer to make it 1-0:
Here’s Duclair’s hat trick goal:
Duclair’s first two goals were from nearly identical spots — this one was his first (but his second later in the first period came from the same angle after a brilliant backhand stretch pass from Casey Cizikas):
Simon Holmstrom — using his crazy long reach to slip it around Markstrom from below the goal line — Casey Cizikas, Tony DeAngelo and Calum Ritchie also scored.
The final two goals were in the final 90 seconds and would’ve felt gratuitous if the Sheldon Keefe-coached Devils hadn’t just handed easy turnovers and odd-man rushes to the Isles. After the eighth goal, there was a little bit of “rough” (to put it generously) stuff at the ensuing faceoff, but it amounted to nothing. The Devils took zero penalties in the game and then let Cizikas finish scoring at 19:02 on a 2-on-1 pass from Duclair.
Run up the score? Sure. But what else are you supposed to do when the baby is just handing you candy?
What a crazy, lopsided, fun and historic night.
Notes
- Sorokin looked good. Reeeaaallly goood. The rest definitely helped whatever ailed him, he did not labor at all while making the kinds of “are you kidding me?” saves that crush spirits.
- Cole McWard played his second game. Tough to evaluate anything in a 9-0 laugher.
- Emil Heineman was one of six Islanders skaters who failed to record points, but he easily could’ve had two or three.
- The Devils are still battling through injuries and clearly had an off night but…not a lot of fire and brimstone in that squad. Wondering if Keefe’s “talented but not playoff ready” rep is going to stay with him.
- Ryan Pulock pulled ahead of Kenny Jonsson on the franchise all-time list for assists by defensemen. And of course Sorokin now stands alone atop the franchise shutout list, ahead of Chico Resch and Billy Smith.
- It’s funny to think back on how, as prospects, we worried that both Anders Lee and Sorokin might never wear the uniform, and now they are on the franchise leaderboard.
Heh. “In terms of offensive chance generation, probably the best we’ve played in a long time.”
Up Next
What a way to send them off on a season-long road trip. Seven games, spanning all time zones, starting Thursday with a visit to Uncle Barry in Nashville.
Category: General Sports
