Islanders topple Maple Leafs in overtime after Lane Lambert’s rare lineup changes
The Islanders have spent the seasons first 40 games with minimal changes to their forward lines, choosing to stick with a plan thats been in place since training camp.
After Casey Cizikas went down on a week-to-week basis with a lower-body injury on Tuesday, coach Lane Lambert decided Game 41 was the right time for a reboot.
I dont think weve played very well lately, Lambert said Thursday morning. So yeah, we couldve just moved one person with Cizikas being out. But weve moved a bunch of people. We gotta be better.
The line changes had the intended effect, helping the Islanders to a 4-3 comeback victory over the Maple Leafs that ended on Mathew Barzals game-winner in overtime, with Barzal and Noah Dobson netting four points apiece.
It was awesome, Alexander Romanov said. Everyone was working their b—s off.
6Ilya Sorokin is hugged by his teammates after the Islanders’ 4-3 overtime win over the Maple Leafs. Corey Sipkin for the NY POSTFor the first time since the Islanders traded for Bo Horvat last January, he and Barzal were on different lines in a game when both were healthy.
Anders Lee stayed with Horvat, but with Oliver Wahlstrom on the right side in his first game since Dec. 27.
Barzal centered Simon Holmstrom and Kyle Palmieri, playing his first game down the middle since last Feb. 18 and first with Palmieri since Oct. 22, 2022.
Brock Nelson played on the de facto third line with Pierre Engvall and Hudson Fasching. Jean-Gabriel Pageau centered Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck on the fourth line.
6Mathew Barzal netted the overtime winner for the Islanders. USA TODAY Sports via Reuters ConAnd the Islanders a team that ranks toward the bottom of the league in puck possession and offensive zone time responded by getting on the cycle and holding the puck for long periods of time against strong opposition.
They definitely gave us some energy, Barzal, who was double-shifted with Horvats line for much of the night, said of the changes. I thought all four lines were going, to be honest with you. I thought when Lane rotated me back in with Bo and Leesy we created a ton and got a big goal. I thought bench management was great tonight.
It looked as though Auston Matthews had single-handedly ended any momentum that came from a good first period when he scored a pair of goals in the first three minutes of the second to open a 3-1 Toronto lead.
6Barzal shifted lines in this game. Getty ImagesBut the Islanders quickly fought back, with Romanov unleashing a laser of a wrist shot at the 4:18 mark to make it 3-2 and Horvat tipping in Dobsons shot from the midpoint on the power play at 13:51. That sent the game to the third tied at three, where the Islanders would indulge in their usual late drama.
The third period reflected much of the rest of the game tense, tight and fairly even between the two sides.
A stalemate that included big saves from both netminders, in particular Martin Jones on Fasching early in the period, carried on as far as overtime.
6Alexander Romanov (l.) and Mathew Barzal (r.) celebrate after Romanov’s goal in the Islanders’ win. USA TODAY Sports via Reuters ConThat was when Barzal finally ended it, deflecting in Dobsons pass and putting a bow on a night of good work from the home side.
I didnt get good wood on it, Barzal said. Great eys by Dobby to find me backdoor. Big win on the draw by Bo. Tonight was just all about everybody chipping in, big collective effort. Thats why we won.
With losses in eight of the preceding 12 games going into Thursday, a four-game road trip through the Central Division coming up and Cizikas joining Semyon Varlamov, Ryan Pulock and Robert Bortuzzo on the shelf, the Islanders had to find some kind of a solution as soon as possible.
6Auston Matthews scored two goals in the Maple Leafs’ overtime loss against the Islanders. Corey Sipkin for the NY PostTheir margin for error is shrinking, with the season hitting its halfway mark and the Metropolitan Division as close as ever.
The first try on that solution is so far so good.
6The Islanders won for just the second time in six games with Thursday’s victory over the Maple Leafs. Corey Sipkin for the NY PostThat does not mean this is the answer. But it is a good sign.
We knew we had a performance the other night that we didnt really like, Lambert said. Our guys showed a lot of character and especially a lot of character going down 3-1 tonight. Wasnt so much the lines as just the resolve of our team and the group.
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