Rapid Reaction: Islanders Flip Switch, Down Ducks 4-0

The New York Islanders, after losing 5-2 to the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday, came to play Sunday against the Anaheim Ducks as they beat them 4-0. The Islanders move to 20-21-8 on the season, 10-11-4 on the road.

ISLANDERS LINES

Parise–Pageau–Palmieri

Bellows–Nelson–Beauvillier

Lee–Bailey–Wahlstrom

Martin–Cizikas–Clutterbuck

Pelech–Mayfield

Greene–Dobson

Aho–Pulock

Sorokin

HOW IT HAPPENED

Noah Dobson gave the New York Islanders a 1-0 at 13:41 of the first period as his one-timer beat Anaheim Ducks netminder Anthony Stolarz over the left pad. Dobson’s ninth of the season was assisted by Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Kyle Palmieri.

Casey Cizikas made it 2-0 as Ross Johnston found him all alone for his sixth of the season after a silky move.

Andy Greene made it 3-0 Islanders as he sniped Stolarz for his second of the season. His goal at 11:43 of the second period was assisted by Johnston and Casey Cizikas.

Kieffer Bellows made it 4-0 as he beat Stolarz over the glove for his fourth of the season on the breakaway at 15:06 of the third period. Oliver Wahlstrom and Sebastian Aho were credited with the assists.

STEFEN’S TWO CENTS

After coming out extremely flat against the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday, it was a different Islanders team Sunday against the Anaheim Ducks.

With Mathew Barzal out of the lineup, the Islanders rallied.

Ross Johnston took advantage of his ice time, with a key assist on the Casey Cizikas and Andy Greene goals. Kieffer Bellows created opportunities for himself and found a way to get on the board for the first time since Dec. 30.

The Islanders defense made transitioning relatively easy as Adam Pelech, Ryan Pulock, and Noah Dobson showed off their skating throughout the contest.

The Islanders penalty kill, which was 5 for 5 against Los Angeles on Saturday, remained perfect on Sunday night with two kills.

Sebastian Aho pushed his point streak to five games (5 assists).

It was a strong start for Ilya Sorokin, with a handful of point-blank saves early in the first period, which allowed himself to get into a rhythm and also allowed the Islanders to score first.

Sorokin found a way to find the puck all night long and controlled his rebounds. The Islanders limited high-octane shots on Sorokin, which made his life easier.

What stood out was his aggressiveness as Sorokin positioned himself at the top of the crease, often outside the crease.

Just a completely different game for the Islanders, one they need to find a way to build on when they face Colorado.

GAME NOTES

Forward Mathew Barzal and defenseman Zdeno Chara left Saturday night’s contest and did not play on Sunday. Both are considered day-to-day.

Josh Bailey, Andy Greene, and Ross Johnston were back in the lineup. Matt Martin was a healthy scratch.

Ross Johnston skated in his 100th career NHL game.

Quotes: Casey Cizikas, Ross Johnston, Kieffer Bellows, Andy Greene, Barry Trotz

“That was another key to get off to a good start, get the lead, and just continue on from there. And Sorokin made some massive saves when we needed him to, especially on that kill. They had a couple of grade-A’s and he came up big.”–Casey Cizikas

“Yeah, it’s just nice being back out there with the guys. Anytime you can contribute it’s definitely a bonus but it’s nice to get back on track here and get a win and move on to a tough test in Colorado.”–Ross Johnston

You know, you never want to sit out games and not be out there but it happens. Those are the days that you have to put the work in and make sure when you get back in there that you’re ready. I think Johnston and I were skating hard to prepare for this and you know, it’s good to get rewarded tonight.”–Andy Greene

“Obviously a tough one last night but you know, this team moved past that quickly. And you know, we wanted to have a rebound game tonight and you know, we had guys step up obviously like Greeny and Ross. That’s a big win for us. Sorokin played really well.”–Kieffer Bellows

We just said, you know what, let’s just play, lets just play the game. We sometimes, we try to force things that aren’t there, trying to be too fine. Let’s just play the game right. And I think that the leadership group, they get all the credit. They, you know, they stepped up. Every one of the veteran guys stepped up. Obviously we’re missing some good people in Chara and Barzal and it’s a group effort. Our strength is in the group. It’s not an individual’s and that was on display today.”–Barry Trotz

 WHAT’S NEXT: The New York Islanders face the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday night at 9 PM ET.