Notes from The New York Islanders encouraging preseason win on Monday night

The New York Islanders edged the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 on Monday night at home. The win was crucial in building momentum as the Isles look to get set for opening night.

Mathew Barzal and Anders Lee connected on the power play, with Kyle MacLean and Kyle Palmieri notching the other tallies. Palmieri got the game-winning goal late in the game with less than a minute to go in regulation. Meanwhile, Anthony Rich, Brendan Furry, and Rasmus Ristolainen scored for the Flyers.

For the Isles, the game offered several encouraging signs, but it also showed some concerning ones. So, let’s take a closer look.

Notes from the New York Islanders preseason win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday night

The power play was big

The power play came through with two goals. Barzal and Lee had one goal apiece. But most importantly, both power play units connected separately. That’s an encouraging sign as the Isles had one of the lowest-ranked power plays in the league last season.

Moving forward, the New York Islanders can look forward to getting crucial offensive support from the power play.

The penalty kill disappointed

While the Islanders scored two power play goals, they also gave up two. In particular, the third-period goal by Ristolainen tied the game early in the third.

This situation is frustrating, especially after all the talk in the offseason about improving the penalty kill. The Isles brought in Tommy Albelin to help boost the Isles’ penalty kill units, looking to transform the special teams from a weakness to a strength.

While the penalty kill did not derail the Isles win on Monday night, it is a warning signal the club cannot ignore. The good news is that the two power play goals surrendered came in a preseason game. So, there’s still time to continue working and improving.

Kyle MacLean makes a strong case

The play of Liam Foudy and Fredrik Karlstrom has made the final cuts tough to decide. Foudy and Karlstrom’s strong showing this preseason has put players like MacLean on the bubble. However, MacLean has been effective when given the chance.

MacLean scored again on Monday night while playing just under 12 minutes on the night. He had 19 shifts, making it a solid night for the fourth-liner.

Skarek good but not great

Lastly, Jakub Skarek went the distance against the Flyers. He was good overall, but not overly impressive as he gave up three goals on 18 shots.

Granted, two of those goals were shorthanded. So, they weren’t entirely his fault. Still, Skarek may have hurt his case for the backup role somewhat with Monday night’s performance.

The Isles decision regarding Semyon Varlamov will come down to next Friday’s game against the New York Rangers. Perhaps Skarek and Marcus Hogberg both see some action before making the final call.