3 Takeaways: Holmstrom's Shorthanded Goal Propels Isles Past Ducks 4-3

Simon Holmstrom’s shorthanded goal with 1:33 to play lifted the Islanders to a 4-3 win over the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday night at UBS Arena.

Holmstrom broke a 3-3 tie with his league-leading fourth shorthanded tally – and fifth shorthanded point – of the season. Holmstrom’s goal followed up a Mathew Barzal power-play goal to tie the score at three and a pair of second period goals from Kyle Palmieri and Casey Cizikas. Troy Terry (PPG), Adam Henrique and Sam Carrick scored for the Ducks.

Semyon Varlamov stopped 21-of-24 for his fourth straight win, while John Gibson stopped 30-of-34 in the loss.

The win was the Islanders fourth straight and extended their point streak to seven games (6-0-1). Overall the Isles have points in 13 of their last 14 games (9-1-4).

"THE SHORTHANDED KING"

A late penalty in the third period of a 3-3 tie could have spelled doom for the Islanders on Wednesday night, but it turns out the team has a secret weapon down a man.

Simon Holmstrom continued his stealth run as the NHL’s most productive shorthanded player, netting his league-leading fourth shorthanded goal and fifth shorthanded point. It was a pretty goal, as he came down the left wing and snapped a shot high short side on John Gibson at the 18:27 mark.

“He’s the shorthanded king right now,” Mathew Barzal said of his Swedish teammate. 

Per team statistician Eric Hornick, Holmstrom’s shorthanded game-winner was the latest in Isles history. Per Islanders Radio Color Commentator Greg Picker, Holmstrom’s shorthanded game-winner was the Isles first since Mike Peca in a 1-0 OT win over Philadelphia on Feb. 12, 2002.

“There's something to be said about how strong he is defensively and then obviously just his knack for the net," Barzal said. "He’s getting comfortable out there and he's showing flashes of how talented he is.”

JG Pageau, Holmstrom’s regular penalty kill partner, picked up his league-leading fourth shorthanded assist on Wednesday night. Head Coach Lane Lambert credited the duo for picking their spots offensively this year.

“They have a decent idea of when to go and when not to go,” Lambert said. “That's very important when you're killing penalty as you can have an opportunity. You can have opportunities, but it's got to be calculated.”

Holmstrom is now up to eight goals and 11 total points this season. As a team, the Isles have six shorthanded goals, good for third in the league.

ISLES KEEP COMPOSURE AFTER LETTING LEAD SLIP:

Holmstrom’s shorthanded goal was only half of the special teams story for the Islanders on Wednesday, as Mathew Barzal’s power-play goal put the team back into a tie game at 7:46 of the third period.

The Isles three leading scorers connected on the tying goal, as Barzal hammered a Bo Horvat pass for a one-timer, going high over Gibson’s shoulder for the tying goal. Noah Dobson picked up the secondary assist, reaching to glove down a Ducks clearing attempt.

The power-play goal was a swift response to the Ducks taking a 3-2 lead 2:39 prior, as the Isles found themselves trailing against a struggling team, letting a 2-0 lead slip away - for the 10th time this season - despite controlling large swaths of the contest.

“They had a little push, but I felt the whole game we felt pretty in control,” Dobson said. “I liked our composure in the third when they got one. There was no panic and just a good, solid 60 minutes and we found a way to win at the end.”

Overall, the Isles outshot the Ducks 34-24, including 13-2 in what turned out to be a scoreless first period. After Mike Reilly’s first period goal was overturned to goalie interference, Kyle Palmieri opened the scoring 40 seconds into the middle frame. Palmieri one-timed a low-to-high feed from Brock Nelson who circled the net after some Hudson Fasching pressure forced a Ducks turnover deep in the defensive end.

Fasching played a key role on the Islanders’ 2-0 goal, driving to the net to open up a passing lane for Casey Cizikas and Cal Clutterbuck, who played a little catch before Cizikas buried on John Gibson at 6:32.

The Ducks did not go quietly, as Anaheim rallied back from a 2-0 deficit to take a 3-2 lead. The first two goals came off broken/fluky plays, with Troy Terry’s cross-ice pass deflecting off Robert Bortuzzo’s skate on the power play to get the Ducks on the board. Adam Henrique was the beneficiary of a Urho Vaakanainen’s stick breaking on a shot, turning a missile into a changeup that Henrique was able to scoop and score.

That made the game appear tighter than it was, but Sam Carrick’s 3-2 goal – which clipped Sam Bolduc’s stick – put the Isles in an uncomfortable position, but one they've grown more comfortable in. Like their comeback wins over Columbus and LA and Monday’s gut-check effort after Toronto’s late tying goal, the Isles turned the page and overcame adversity, which wasn’t always the case early on in the season.

“I don't really know what to credit it to,” Barzal said. “We’re just learning from our mistakes and just having a good character room where we weren't going to let it get to us.”

AHO RETURNS TO LINEUP:

Sebastian Aho returned to the lineup after missing eight games with an upper-body injury, playing 18:51 on a pairing with Mike Reilly, recording a pair of shots and a pair of blocks.

“I felt good,” Aho said. “I thought me and Mikey moved the puck well, and we had a lot of opportunities up the ice and overall a good game.”

Lambert agreed.

“I thought he was very good. I thought that pair was very good,” Lambert said. “They can both skate and they can both move the puck. They don't spend a lot of time in the [defensive] zone.”

Aho drew into the lineup for Scott Mayfield, who was ruled to be day-to-day with an upper-body injury.

NEXT GAME:

The Islanders finish their six-game homestand against the Boston Bruins on Friday night. Puck drop is at 7:30 p.m.