The Upshot: New York Islanders extend point streak with full 60-minute effort

HOW IT HAPPENED

The New York Islanders defeated the Vancouver Canucks 5-2 at Rogers Place on Thursday night. The Isles got a full 60-minute effort, dominating the game from statement to finish. JG Pageau scored a power play, with Scott Mayfield, Pierre Engvall, and Noah Dobson getting their first goals of the year. Anders Lee continued his scorching streak, netting his seventh. Lee got the game’s first star with Semyon Varlamov making 24 saves. Jonathan Lekkerimaki got his first NHL goal to open the scoring in the first period. Tyler Myers added a late goal to make it 5-2. Kevin Lankinen took the loss, making 27 saves on 31 shots.

WHAT WENT RIGHT

The Isles played a full game. The offensive effort was there as the Islanders scored five unanswered goals opening up a 5-1 lead at 17:54 of the third. The Isles dominated as the numbers show. The Islanders only took one penalty, one going 1-for-5 with the man advantage. They also dominated the face-off circle, winning almost 60% of the draws. While the Canucks played a more physical game, the Islanders made the Canucks pay with speed and skill. In particular, the Brock Nelson-Maxim Tsyplakov-Kyle Palmieri line stood out.

It's also worth pointing out that Pierre Engvall got his first goal of the season. Engvall showed his best effort of the season. It seems Roy’s system has begun to sink in. That situation bodes well for Engvall as he could be playing his way into a permanent lineup spot.

WHAT WENT WRONG

It’s hard to point out what went wrong on Thursday night. It’s worth underscoring the mistakes that led to the two Vancouver goals. In particular, the late Tyler Myers goal as a defensive lapse led to the goal. While the goal was largely inconsequential, the fact that no one picked up Myers off the face-off is concerning. Myers took the puck and walked in front of the net with no hindrance. Moving forward, the Isles will need to pay attention to such lapses.

STATS OF THE GAME

The Islanders are now 3-0-2 in their last five games. After the game, Bo Horvat stated, “We knew all along, if we were playing the same way and playing that way, we're going to get rewarded eventually.” The Isles are fifth in the Metro Division with 18 points, three points off third place.

SOCIAL MEDIA MOMENT OF THE GAME

A fan going by the name of Alex, Tweeted an interesting game summary

Indeed, the Islanders played a full 60-minute effort. Thursday night’s game could be a sign that the Islanders have turned a corner with Patrick Roy’s system beginning to bear fruit.

WHAT’S NEXT

The Islanders are off on Friday. They will take on the Seattle Kraken on Saturday night as part of their ongoing Western road trip.