New York Islanders
Seven Straight: Islanders Beat Bolts in OT; Takeaways From Another Gutsy Win

The New York Islanders (24-20-7) took some punches and kept rolling en route to a 3-2 overtime victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning (27-20-4) in Amalie Arena. Scott Mayfield left with an injury late in the second period but did not return. Later, with the Islanders protecting a 2-1 lead in the final minutes, Mathew Barzal blocked a blistering shot, limped off the ice very slowly, and did not return.
That’s the major bad news for the Islanders. They’ll hope for good news but in a season full of bad luck with injuries, it may have only gotten worse in Tampa.
Less than a minute after Barzal limped off, Nikita Kucherov fired a shot that hit Jean-Gabriel Pageau and beat Ilya Sorokin to tie the game at 2. It felt like as heavy of a gut punch as possible. Losing Barzal and blowing the lead, it headed to overtime.
After that slew of bad breaks and bad luck, it felt like the good vibes might end. Instead, just 33 seconds into overtime, Anthony DeAngelo won it with Andrei Vasilevskiy leaving the glove side wide open. Bo Horvat made the play happen with his long stretch pass. The pass sprung DeAngelo, fresh off the bench. He took the breakaway and won it, clinching a seventh straight victory for the Islanders.
Takeaway #1: They’re Zombies, unstoppable despite how many blows they take.
Resilience, guts, heart. You name it. This team has it. A few games ago, I called this team a bunch of zombies, taped up and slowly marching on but unable to be fully killed off. That seems as apt as ever.
Every single one of the team’s opening-night defensemen has suffered seemingly major injuries. Mayfield’s still being evaluated tonight, but it did not look good. Adam Pelech, Alexander Romanov, Noah Dobson, Mike Reilly, and Ryan Pulock have all suffered major injuries and have missed or will miss 10+ games at an absolute minimum.
That’s before we discuss Mathew Barzal’s first injury, which saw him miss 21 games. Anthony Duclair missed more than that and still doesn’t fully look like his explosive self.
Simon Holmstrom missed over two weeks with an injury and came back without losing a step. Maxim Tsyplakov got himself suspended for three games and sat for a fourth, but he’s looked almost better for the rest.
Backup goaltender Semyon Varlamov has not played since November 29. As of today, team president and General Manager Lou Lamoriello gave him an “out indefinitely” tag. It seems very likely he will not return this season. Third-string goalie Marcus Hogberg came up as a question mark, then put up outstanding numbers only to suffer a four-week-long injury that has him shelved until after the Four Nation’s Face-Off.
Fourth-string goaltender Jakub Skarek will start tomorrow night in Sunrise, Florida, against the Panthers for his first career NHL start and appearance.
Only five Islanders from the opening night lineup have played in all 51 games—Anders Lee, Brock Nelson, Kyle Palmieri, Casey Cizikas, and Kyle MacLean. Entering tonight, Mayfield and Bo Horvat missed just one game this season.
Everyone else has missed three or more games for one reason or another. Somehow, this team, with enough injuries to fill a small hospital, is within four points of a playoff spot.
Takeaway #2: Ilya Sorokin Fully Recovered from Injury:
Ilya Sorokin underwent back surgery this offseason without any noise at all until coach Patrick Roy revealed the news prior to training camp. On paper, a back injury ailing Sorokin makes a ton of sense for his struggles to end last season.
Sorokin returned at the end of training camp and started the third game of the season for New York. Through the December holidays, Sorokin played more than ok, but not close to the elite level he’s capable of. Some of that can be looked at as poor defense, but analytics showed he left more to be desired for a big-money goaltender.
He made 28 saves tonight against a surging Lightning team in the third period. Tampa only beat Sorokin with a shot that deflected right in front of him. That’s been the theme since the calendar flipped to 2025.
Sorokin recorded an 8-2-0 record with a .938 save percentage and a 1.78 GAA. He’s been the superstar they expect, and it’s a massive part of the turnaround. The better Sorokin is, the further this team goes.
Takeaway #3: Lou Lamoriello Still Has It
The Islanders suffered all those injuries listed above. The team had sunk as low as 28th in the NHL, with a record of 14-18-7. Lamoriello could’ve bailed on this group, and nobody would have blamed him.
Instead, as he’s consistently done, he believed in this group. The Islanders have won 10 of their last 12 games and seven straight. Lamoriello didn’t sit on his hands, either.
As soon as Dobson went down, Lamoriello signed the controversial DeAngelo to a one-year deal. DeAngelo played heavy minutes in each game since and recorded his first goal with New York tonight in overtime. For the hockey team, it’s been a shrewd addition.
After Pulock went down, Lamoriello acquired former Hobey Baker winner Scott Perunovich. Perunovich is an offensive-minded defenseman with incredibly strong analytics but was deemed disposable by the St. Louis Blues. In his three games with the Islanders, he’s played top-four minutes and registered two assists. Additionally, he fits like a glove next to Adam Pelech. That’s another slam-dunk win for the Islanders thus far.
Finally, just yesterday, after Isaiah George’s promising rookie campaign showed fatigue, the organization sent him back to Bridgeport. The corresponding move? Lamoriello claimed Adam Boqvist, a former eighth-overall pick off waivers from the Florida Panthers. Boqvist scored tonight in his debut. He played limited minutes but did not look out of place for his debut.
For George, anyone worried about his confidence can be rest assured. He scored on his first shift back in the AHL tonight.
Without Lamoriello steering then ship, perhaps the Islanders would have shipwrecked already. Instead, they bring a seven-game win streak to the suburbs of Miami to take on the Panthers.