Takeaways: Isles Best Rangers 5-2 in Preseason Finale

The New York Islanders concluded their preseason slate on a high note, beating the New York Rangers 5-2 in comeback fashion in front of a fired-up home crowd at UBS Arena.

The Rangers opened the scoring with a fluky goal, as a shot credited to Jonny Brodzinski floated high above a group of players in front of the net, before it banked off Semyon Varlamov's helmet and into the net at 6:52. A wrist shot by Adam Fox deflected off the skates of defenders in front of the net and in to give the Rangers a 2-0 advantage at 8:54, but the Islanders began to claw back and stifle the Rangers offense.

Mathew Barzal, who finished the game with five points (1G, 4A), fed a wide-open Bo Horvat (2G) in the slot for a crisp power-play goal at 18:48 of the first period. Horvat followed that up with his second goal of the night with the equalizer at 15:09 of the middle frame, while Maxim Tsyplakov’s go-ahead goal (PPG) held as the game-winner.

The Isles killed off an important late penalty late in the third to protect the lead. Their ability to score three unanswered goals was an improvement from the last time they faced the Rangers in preseason action, where they let a 4-1 lead slip away on Sept. 24. Instead of giving it back, Barzal and Anthony Duclair scored late in the final frame to pad the lead.

Though finishing their preseason slate with a win was encouraging, Head Coach Patrick Roy emphasized that the way his team played is more important than the result.

"Results don't matter right now, because it's only preseason. It's how you play," Roy said. "You could go 6-0 in preseason and feel like you didn't play very well, then you're going to be nervous for the first game. You could go 0-6 and think you haven't played that bad. I loved the way we played tonight, but the big picture is to be ready for Thursday night."

The Isles have five days between games before they open their season on Thursday vs Utah.

TSYPLAKOV STANDS OUT ON POWER PLAY

Tsyplakov had quite a strong showing in his fifth preseason game with the Isles.

The Russian winger skated on a line with Brock Nelson and Pierre Engvall, but he stood out the most on the power play, where he cashed in for his first Isles goal in the preseason, which eventually held as the game-winner.

The 26-year-old displayed his skill and mechanics on the man advantage, taking control of the net-front area and scoping out passing lanes behind the net, which drew attention down low and freed up his teammates. After setting a screen, Tsyplakov skated to the back of the net and banked a shot off K’Ander Miller and into the net to take a 3-2 advantage at 19:21 of the second period.

“He looked great in the power play,” Barzal said of Tsyplakov. “Just how we drew it up, kind of taking around the net and banking off the guys skate, that’s the secret play of our that we’ve got going on right now, I’m glad we can execute."

Tsyplakov also earned a secondary assist on Horvat’s power-play goal which opened the scoring. His five games allowed Roy to get a good look at the Russian winger. Roy noticed his confidence increasing after each outing, and said he appreciates Tsyplakov’s ability to make adjustments.

"I told him, make sure you see the D, because it's a big difference - the D are always jumping in the rush," Roy said. "And tonight he knew, and he fixed that. I give him a lot of credit for what he's been doing."

TAKEAWAYS:

- Barzal had a five-point performance (1G, 4A) and finished the preseason with nine points (4G, 5A) in four games. All four of Barzal's assists were primary helpers, while his goal was a breakaway snipe to put the Isles up 4-1.

- Bo Horvat has four goals and one assist in four preseason games, including two goals on Friday. He opened the scoring with a power-play goal against the Rangers - he tied for the team lead in power-play goals (10) last season. Horvat sported the “A” in the final preseason game.

- Oliver Wahlstrom drew into the lineup and played with Casey Cizikas and Kyle MacLean and got some time on the power play, logging 2:19 on the man advantage. Roy had good things to say about the trust he was able to give Wahlstrom’s line.

“I thought that was a good line, they had a lot of good chances,” Roy said. “They had a lot of responsibility, because they played against [the Rangers] top line and faceoffs in our zone. I felt very comfortable.”

- Varlamov played his first full game of the preseason, turning aside 20 of 22 shots in the win. Roy said earlier in the preseason that it was important for the netminder to get in a full 60.

“He was awesome. Varly is so calm, cool, collected back there, and we have so much confidence in front of him when he's back there,” Horvat said. “He was great again tonight, he’s been great all preseason.”

- JG Pageau went 9-for-10 in the dot (90%).

- Roy talked about four games being the sweet spot for a player to dress in preseason action. Three Isles played in five preseason games: Tsyplakov, MacLean and Grant Hutton.

NOTABLE QUOTE

"As good as this feels, it obviously doesn't quite matter yet. But there's always pride and you want to win every time you put on the jersey,” said Barzal. “I thought we played a pretty solid game."

NEXT GAME:

The next one counts, as the Isles open the season against the Utah Hockey Club on Thursday night at 7:30 p.m.