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The New York Islanders opened their season with a home win last night, defeating the Buffalo Sabres 3-2.
Despite the Islanders not capitalizing on an early power play, New York managed to get on the board early, with Brock Nelson picking up the first goal of the season only about six minutes in. Sebastian Aho had turned the puck over for a great opportunity for the Sabres earlier in the shift, before the puck went back down ice, and Pierre Engvall did a great job winning a battle to allow Nelson to walk in and beat Devon Levi.
It ended up being a pretty quiet period from there, with each team only registering seven shots. However, with just under two minutes to go, Ryan Pulock threw a shot on goal and while it was stopped, Brock Nelson was there to put the rebound off both Kyle Palmieri and Connor Clifton, putting New York up by two through 20 minutes.
Buffalo got one back early in the second though, with Jordan Greenway finishing off a nice passing play to make it a 2-1 game. While the middle frame did feature more shots, the actual high-danger chances remained pretty scarce, and though Ilya Sorokin had to be good from the volume of shots he faced, New York did a pretty good job limiting opportunities.
However, early in the third period, Casey Mittelstadt managed to tie the game, getting a puck out front and beating Sorokin with a well-placed backhand shot. The Islanders had their chances after that (including another power play) though, and continued to press to go back ahead. Then with about six minutes to go, Casey Cizikas managed to tip-in a point shot from Adam Pelech, and the goal withstood coach’s challenge to put the Islanders on top 3-2. The Sabres did press late to tie it, but the Islanders managed to hang on for the win.
It’s a huge win, obviously starting the season off on a positive note. At the same time, the Islanders also put together a fairly strong performance overall and did a great job playing their game of limiting how many quality opportunities Sorokin faced.
The East is shaping up to be another really tough battle to get into the playoffs, and picking up wins against other teams expected to be in a similar situation, like the Sabres, is key.
Brock Nelson had a huge game as well, registering a goal and an assist in the win. Even aside from the stats though, Nelson was doing a lot to drive offense, carrying the puck and heading to the net to create his own opportunities. The whole second line was buzzing and were generating a lot of New York’s best chances.
Simon Holmstrom continues to look more comfortable too, slotting in well on the top line. The line outshot their opponents 11-4 while on the ice together (according to NaturalStatTrick.com). The one concern is that Horvat will be really be counted on for a lot of the scoring throughout the season, with neither Barzal or Holmstrom as big shooters, but they’re at least generating opportunities.
Another storyline to track is when Oliver Wahlstrom makes his season debut. He’s available, but the Islanders are being cautious and he was scratched last night. The third line of Anders Lee, Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Hudson Fasching weren’t able to get a ton going, so it’ll be interesting to see how much of an impact Wahlstrom will have.
Regardless, it’s a big win for the Islanders. They’ll be back in action on Tuesday, when they face the Arizona Coyotes.
OTHER ARTICLES FROM OCTOBER
Islanders announce 23-man roster
Ross Johnston claimed off waivers by Ducks 
New York Islanders Blogger • 
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