NY Islanders ride dominant first period to second straight win and hold off Ducks 3-2

The New York Islanders are beginning to find their stride, and Tuesday night's 3-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks at UBS Arena offered another indication of a team building confidence and momentum.

Ondrej Palat, Victor Eklund and Simon Holmstrom scored first-period goals as the Islanders overwhelmed Anaheim early before holding off a late push to secure their first winning streak of the season.

The Islanders improved to 5-3-1, extending their point streak to four games (3-0-1) and moving into third place in the Metropolitan Division.

New York controlled the opening period, outshooting Anaheim 13-6 and generating 17 scoring chances, including eight high-danger opportunities.

Palat opened the scoring before Eklund doubled the advantage 2:49 later. After Frank Vatrano answered for Anaheim, Holmstrom redirected a Matthew Schaefer shot on the power play for his third goal in two games.

“We had a team that we knew was playing back-to-back, and we knew that’s part of our responsibility being the pressure team is to come out and jump on them,” head coach Pete DeBoer said. “That first goal was huge. We came out, I liked our first period, but the first goal really probably sets the tone for the next 20 or 30 minutes of that game so that was a big goal for us.”

The Islanders couldn't sustain that early dominance, but their three-goal cushion proved enough after Alex Killorn pulled Anaheim within one with 2:40 remaining.

Ilya Sorokin made 15 saves for his fifth victory, while the penalty kill remained perfect for a third consecutive game.

Schaefer extended his home point streak to five games, while Bo Horvat collected his 10th point of the season.

It wasn't a complete 60-minute performance, but the Islanders were good enough for long enough to secure another important two points.

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