Horvat lifts New York Islanders, playing for team pride

The New York Islanders got a solid 1-0 win over the New Jersey Devils on Sunday at the Prudential Center. The gritty win was the Islanders’ 35th of the season, pulling them over the New York Rangers for fifth place in the Metro Division.

Here’s a look at Horvat’s goal:

Horvat took advantage of a costly Devils giveaway to notch the game’s only goal. With the way the overall game was played, the Islanders did manage to cash in the game’s lone goal.

While the Islanders played a good game, one question came to mind: Why couldn’t the Islanders have played this way six months ago? Perhaps the answer is that the Isles are now playing for team pride.

It’s too late to be playing for jobs for next season. It seems that the focus now is to play hard to save face as the season winds down. The last thing fans expect is for the team to fold like they did in the 9-2 shellacking at the hands of the New York Rangers.

It was good to see the effort, especially from Ilya Sorokin, and the Islanders desperately needed an NHL-caliber goalie in the lineup. Sorokin played well, earning his fourth save of the season.

With two games left in the season, the Islanders must continue playing for team pride. There’s nothing else to fans want more than the team to close its season on a solid run.

New York Islanders played “solid, 200-feet game”

Islanders coach Patrick Roy praised his team following the game, touting the team’s effort in front of Ilya Sorokin. Roy stated that the Isles played a “solid, 200-feet game” highlighting how the team played a great defensive game in front of their netminder. He also credited Sorokin by stating that he made the saves he had to when needed.

Roy also focused on how proud the team is. In particular, he drilled down on the team wanting to finish the strong so he doesn’t expect the team to go quietly into the night. That’s the sort of effort fans got to see on Sunday, spoiling the Devils’ home game.

The Isles’ coach remarked on his team’s performance, stating:

“I’m not surprised. This is the quality of that group.”

Indeed, the Isles have a quality group of players. However, inconsistency was their biggest enemy this season. As such, the challenge will be to get more consistent efforts from the team all around next season.

Whether it’s Roy or anyone else behind the bench, the Islanders will need to find a formula that helps them remain consistent throughout the season. If the Islanders can replicate Sunday’s effort over 82 games next season, the NHL could be in trouble.

In the meantime, two games remain on the Islanders’ schedule. That gives the team two more chances to show what they’re capable of.