The New York Islanders will return to the postseason thanks to Wednesday's 4-2 home victory at home over the Montreal Canadiens. New York whiffed on making last season’s Stanley Cup Playoff.
As he has done so often this season, Brock Nelson drove the Isles’ offense, firing successfully home twice to make the difference in the contest. Nelson leads the club in goals (36), assists (39), and points (75); he is their only 60-point man this season.
The Islanders’ victory doomed the Pittsburgh Penguins, who saw their postseason streak end at 17 seasons. On Tuesday, Pittsburgh disastrously lost 5-2 at home against the Blackhawks, clinching a wild-card spot for the Florida Panthers while opening the door for New York to lock up playoff hockey.
The 2022-2023 playoffs will be the first that the Penguins have missed since captain Sidney Crosby’s rookie season.
Islanders fans figure to be eager to see their team in the playoffs again after its previous two postseason efforts saw them take the eventual Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning to the brink in consecutive Conference Finals.
Though the Isles earned their postseason berth, it was not always easy.
Mat Barzal has been out of action since February 18 and is no guarantee to appear in the postseason, while trade acquisition Bo Horvat has struggled to capture the form that made him a force in Vancouver.
Those factors contributed to an Islanders attack that ranked 11th-worst in goals-per-game and second-worst on the powerplay in the NHL (before Wednesday night). Still, Nelson’s banner year coupled with contributions from veterans Anders Lee (28 goals) and Kyle Palmieri (33 points in 55 games) provided enough offense to get the job done in front of New York’s vaunted defense.
Ilya Sorokin added another excellent season in his quest to prove himself the best goaltender in the city, do-it-all top pair Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock again logged over 20 minutes per game and 23-year-old Noah Dobson chipped in with an impressive 49 points from the blue line.
The Islanders' defensive strengths amounted to the league’s third-staunchest unit in GAA and 11th-best penalty kill in what has been the team's first season under former Barry Trotz assistant Lane Lambert.
All eyes in Manhattan now turn to Panthers vs. Hurricanes on Thursday, as that contest will determine whether the Islanders meet the Hurricanes or the seemingly-invincible Bruins in the first round.
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