Takeaways: Islanders Complete Weekend Sweep with 4-2 Win Over Senators 

The New York Islanders kept the winning energy going on Sunday night with a 4-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators in the second half of a back-to-back set.

Anders Lee (PPG), Kyle MacLean, Kyle Palmieri (PPG) and Bo Horvat (ENG) powered the offense for the Islanders while Adam Gaudette and Josh Norris (PPG) put up goals for Ottawa. Ilya Sorokin made 29 saves on 31 shots in a game he played with zero days’ rest, while Anton Forsberg made nine saves on 13 shots.

Sunday’s win was the first time the Islanders won a game with 13 shots or fewer since Oct. 31, 2000.

“It was how our game was going to have to be tonight to find success, it was going to be ugly,” Lee said. “We weren’t playing clean, but we threw a few shots on the net and got it in. Ilya had a great game, the power play, penalty kill and that big kill at the end. Ilya had a great game. In the right moments we were good.”

Sunday’s tilt had a déjà vu element, as the Isles won 4-2 over the Senators in Ottawa on Nov. 7 where Horvat also buried the empty-net goal in the contest. The win lifted the Isles to NHL-.500 with a record of 11-11-7.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Sens peppered the Isles early on, as Thomas Chabot and Shane Pinto tested Sorokin with quality chances in the opening 30 seconds, but Sorokin stood tall early.

Ottawa broke through when Noah Gregor carried the puck along the wall and behind the goal line, putting the shot on net for Gaudette to jam the loose puck in from the right side of the crease at 5:37 of the first period.

In response, the Islanders mustered up two greasy goals at the end of the frame. Max Tsyplakov drew a high-sticking penalty, and the power play found a way to capitalize. Lee was able to find and bury the rebound from Noah Dobson’s blast from the point at the 12:27 mark of the game, and just 18 seconds into the power play. Kyle MacLean deepened the Islanders lead by getting in a net-front position and redirecting a shot from Dennis Cholowski at 14:48.

Kyle Palmieri took an interference penalty with 38 seconds left in the first period, leaving the Senators with a prime opportunity to tie the game to start the middle frame. Josh Norris beamed a shot from the right circle to get even at two apiece.

The Sens held a shot and territorial advantage, but Sorokin, who played in both games of the back-to-back set, denied Tim Stutzle, the Senators leading scorer, on the doorstep to keep the game tied after an Isles turnover.

“He showed why he’s one of the best in the game. When we made mistakes and were not as sharp, he was there for us,” Head Coach Patrick Roy said.

Palmieri drew a tripping penalty against Norris and converted on that power play, which was the second of the game for the Islanders. The winger received a pass from Lee and ripped a shot from the left circle through Forsberg to take the lead for New York at 13:46 of the third period, which held as the game-winner.

Horvat sealed the deal with an empty-net goal and has goals in back-to-back games.

SPECIAL TEAMS MAKE DIFFERENCE

The Islanders have been playing solid even strength hockey consistently all season but have struggled on both sides of special teams. On Sunday they got the win with the help of a power play that went 2-for-2 and a shorthanded unit that went 2-for-3, including an important third-period kill that kept the game tied.

“We talk about how important the power play is and how it can win games,” Roy said. “An example is tonight. We had two very important kills, I thought those were important moments of the game.”

Sunday marked the first time this season the Islanders scored multiple power-play goals in the same game converted on the power play for the first time on the road since Nov. 14 in Vancouver. Sunday marked thefourth and fifth times the power play scored on the road overall this season.

“We moved the puck well, Bo did a good job on draws to get pucks back and we had good entries,” Lee said. “We moved around and waited for the look we wanted and we’ve had success with that tonight.”

ODDS AND ENDS

• Kyle Palmieri recorded his 500th career point with an assist on Lee’s opening tally. He ended a six-game goal drought with a PPG in the third period, which accounted for his 501st point.

• With his 12th goal of the year, Anders Lee tied John Tavares for eighth in goals on the franchise list (272).

• Dobson is riding a four-game point streak (1G, 3A) which is tied for the season-long on the team. Lee had two four-game point streaks and Palmieri also had a four-game stretch.

LINEUP NOTES

Pierre Engvall drew into the lineup after missing Saturday’s contest as a healthy scratch, replacing Hudson Fasching. The Swedish winger skated on a line with Matt Martin and Kyle MacLean. Engvall tallied an assist and one blocked shot in 10:53 TOI.

Sorokin made his fifth consecutive start and played in both games of the back-to-back set and made 57 saves on 62 shots in both games combined. Marcus Hogberg backed up in both contests.

NOTABLE QUOTE

Roy on tonight’s game on finding a way to win in a game where they were outshot 31-13:

“It makes up for some of the wins we thought should have had, and it was a good win for us. We didn’t generate much offensively, but just enough, we worked on our shooting percentage today.”

NEXT GAME

The Islanders open a two-game homestand at UBS Arena when they welcome in the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday night. Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m.