The New York Islanders grabbed their second win of the season on Saturday night with a gritty 5-4 victory over the Ottawa Senators. After trailing 4-3 deep in the second period, right wing Kyle Palmieri and left wing Anders Lee each scored goals to give New York the edge.
Islanders head coach Patrick Roy was certainly happy with his club’s gutsy comeback effort and was particularly pleased with their offensive production.
“It was exciting…We find a way to win the game and that's the bottom line to me. The guys in this dressing room know we need to be better in our exits. We need to be better in our D-zone coverage. But you know what? Offensively, we were good.”
While the offense was solid, it was clear that the Isles’ defense needs to improve if they have designs on finishing the year with a high point total. The Senators notched 33 shots, including 11 high-danger chances.
“I think both sides could go back and clean up a few things,” Lee told the New York Post after the game. “It was one of those nights where trading rushes and trading opportunities. You don’t want to see that every night.”
The Islanders went 35-35-12 last season and finished 6th in the Metropolitan Division with 82 points. They failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs and are hoping that this season will include a chance to win a championship.
“Turnovers cost us,” Roy said. “We made some bad decisions, almost, at times when there were odd-man rushes we could have played a little different.”
“But we found a way to win.”
The Islanders are now 2-3-0 with four points on the season. They will host the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday.
