Islanders vs. Red Wings: Jordan Eberle hat trick gets the win (Highlights)

Thanks to Jordan Eberle, the New York Islanders can feel better about themselves as they take a 4-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings after a disastrous road trip.

Anders Lee said before the game that tonight was the perfect opportunity for the New York Islanders to fix everything that’s been ailing the team. That’s a lot of fixing to do in 60 minutes.

Just consider the issues at hand. The Islanders hadn’t won in four straight games. They’ve scored two goals in 12 periods of play. They hadn’t scored on the power play over their last 13 opportunities. And have been making uncharacteristic mistakes in the defensive zone every night.

That’s a long list of issues to fix in a single 60-minute game. Thankfully, it was against the Detroit Red Wings, so maybe it was possible after all.

Feeling Good

Above all else, the Islanders needed to feel better about their game. After a four-game losing streak, it’s natural to get down on yourself. Not to mention when the offense is an inept as the Detroit Red Wings.

Doing so would require a win. Getting a win would require goals.

Jordan Eberle

stepped up and put up a hat-trick on the evening by doing the simple things, like getting into the right position. Watch this goal, his second on the night. Eberle finds some open real-estate on the ice, takes a

Mathew Barzal

cross-ice feed and mercilessly buries a wrist-shot on

Jonathan Bernier

.

So we have goals. What about power-play goals?

Yes! With five power-play opportunities on the night, the Islanders had nine shots on Bernie and buried one!

A few of the Isles power players were dreadful with horrendous zone entries and 35-pass plays that ended up nowhere. But on their fifth and final opportunity, Jordan Eberle gets a generous bounce and puts the puck in the wide-open net for his first Isles hat-trick ever.

And with that – and a Leo Komarov empty-net goal – the Isles win for the first time in five nights by a score of 4-1 sweeping the Red Wings in the season series with a +13 goal differential.

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Fixed?

No. But three out of four ain’t bad.

A 4-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings doesn’t fix everything. Dunking on the worst team in the league will certainly make the Isles feel better about themselves but it doesn’t change the glaring issues that this team has.

But for now, the players can forget all that and focus on the positives of a 4-1 win.