The New York Islanders broke a two-game losing skid on Tuesday night. It was a comeback victory for the Islanders, with the help of Rally Bird. Bo Horvat nearly hit the bird on the ice on an assist in the third period, as he scored two goals and an assist in the game. Meanwhile, Mathew Barzal added a goal and two assists in the overtime victory.
After the game, Barzal spoke about how much of a morale-booster the come-from-behind overtime victory was, according to Stefen Rosner of NHL.com
“What a ride that was,” Barzal said. “I thought we came out, had a great start, and then we were just always down a goal, and then we get it tied up late, and they get one in front of the net there, and we kind of have a bad power play. And tonight was big, just for the morale in this room, just to know that it doesn't really matter how the game goes — up [and] down the entire night. I think we knew the whole way we were getting it done. We felt super confident every period.”
Barzal scored on a one-timer that beat Penguins netminder Stuart Skinner in the third period to tie the game at three. The Penguins took back the lead in the period, but Barzal found Ryan Pulock five minutes later to tie the game again. In overtime, he found Horvat for the game-winner.
“Tonight was a game that we had to be resilient in, a game where we had to battle to come back, and that's what we did,” New York coach Patrick Roy said. “Bo and ‘Barzy’ had a strong night, and they scored big goals for us. … This is what we call a season. I mean, there’s different ways to win games, and tonight was a good example. We found a way to win, and we had to be bold at a lot of moments in that game. And I thought we were.”
The Islanders are now 31-21-5 on the season, which is good for third in the Metropolitan Division. They are also just one point behind the Penguins for second in the division. The Islanders will play their final game before the Olympic break on Thursday, visiting the struggling New Jersey Devils.
