Goals from Ryan Pulock, Mat Barzal, and JG Pageau, plus a 27 save performance from Semyon Varlamov, help the Isles secure the win.
They absolutely needed that one.
With a friendly out-of-town scoreboard (the Canadiens beat the Flyers, the Hurricanes beat the Red Wings, and the Maple Leafs beat the Capitals), the New York Islanders were able to make up ground on their direct competitors for either third in the Metropolitan Division or the second wild card spot. They’re now 4 points back of Washington and 5 points behind Philadelphia (with two games in hand) so this could really come down to the wire.
There were some big nights from guys the Isles could really use some scoring from down this stretch, too. Pageau set up Pulock’s goal and scored the eventual game winner. Cizikas picked up secondary assists on Pulock and Barzal’s goals and was directly involved in Pageau’s goal, even if that didn’t show up on the scoresheet.
The power play still struggled, despite having tons of opportunities, and its total ineptitude probably made this game a lot closer than it could have been.
And hey, congrats to Cal Clutterbuck for notching his 4000th NHL hit in this game.
[NHL Gamecenter | Game Summary | Event Summary | Natural Stat Trick]
First Period
Florida absolutely dominated early on – the Islanders genuinely didn’t get out of their own end for probably five minutes, prompting my dad to text me that they’re only going to have to clean half the ice at the end of the period.
And then to make matters worse, Adam Pelech limped off the ice, momentarily causing panic until he reappeared on the bench shortly after.
But against the run of play, Ryan Pulock scored… until Florida challenged for goaltender interference and won. Immediately after that challenge, Vladimir Tarasenko made it 1-0 Panthers off of JG Pageau’s stick.
But just a few minutes later, Ryan Pulock would score again, and this one counted, tying the game at one each. Pulock was all alone in front, and Pageau drew two Panthers away and got the puck out to him from behind the net, possibly in his best play of the season.
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) March 28, 2024
Second Period
The Islanders pick up a power play early in the second as Matthew Tkachuk was called for hooking Mat Barzal, but the Panthers killed the penalty.
Just a few minutes later, Barzal drew another penalty, and Anton Lundell went to the box for cross checking, but again, the Panthers killed the penalty.
Shortly after killing that penalty, Sam Reinhart got the puck to Aleksander Barkov, who put the puck past Semyon Varlamov for a 2-1 lead.
Just two minutes after that, Barzal scored to tie the game, picking up his new career high in goals with his 23rd of the season, tipping a Noah Dobson shot past Anthony Stolarz.
A new career high in goals for Barzal! pic.twitter.com/RI28IwGIka
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) March 29, 2024
Two minutes after that, JG Pageau scored thanks to some good work from Casey Cizikas down low. Cizikas was initially credited with an assist on the goal, but it was taken away, robbing him of his first career three assist game. To add to the drama, the Panthers challenged this goal for goaltender interference, too, but it was ruled a good goal, and the Islanders took their first lead of the night at 3-2. The Isles went on the power play after the failed challenge, but Florida killed the penalty.
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) March 29, 2024
Third Period
Oliver Ekman-Larsson punched Cal Clutterbuck in the face after the whistle following a good shot from Mike Reilly, giving the Islanders their fourth power play of the night. Aaron Ekblad needed to block a good shot from Bo Horvat, but the Panthers were able to kill the penalty.
Then, Bo Horvat was called for a weak slashing penalty, and the Panthers did everything they could to try to get the tying goal, dominating during the delayed penalty and during the power play, but the Islanders were able to kill thanks to some great saves from Varlamov.
With 5 and a half minutes left, Sam Reinhart hit Cal Clutterbuck with his stick, drawing blood and earning himself a four minute double minor penalty. Unfortunately, the power play continued to be awful, and the Islanders couldn’t score.
The Panthers pulled Stolarz looking for the tying goal, but the Islanders were able to hold on, and pulled out the 3-2 win in Florida.
Up Next
Next, the New York Islanders head further up Florida to take on the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday night. The Lightning are likely holding on to the first wild card spot in the Eastern Conference, but they still have a lot to play for, and they’ve won 7 of their last 8 games heading into Saturday.