The Islanders just wrapped up their California road trip like they owned the place, grabbing five out of a possible six points. The final game against the playoff-positioned Anaheim Ducks was seriously the smoothest cruise of the whole trip, a total masterclass. Mat Barzal’s long-awaited return was awesome, picking up an assist on the opening goal just 1:55 into the game, a Logan Stanley shot that found twine after a double deflection. The boys went into the second period up 1-0, but that’s when they absolutely broke the game open.
Holmstrom’s Heroics & Game Breakers
Simon Holmstrom was on fire, potting two goals on his way to a sick hat trick. Mitchell Chaffee also netted his second as an Islander, pushing the score to a dominant 5-1 by the midpoint of the game. Cutter Gauthier managed to get one back for Anaheim, adding to his frankly stunning start to the season, but Holmstrom wasn’t done, completing his hat trick early in the third period. Big shout out to Victor Eklund, his “Swedes Do Disneyland” buddy, who set him up for that third one. Not everything was perfect though: Logan Stanley left the game halfway through after taking a shot, so we’re definitely looking for an update on his status come Monday. Semyon Varlamov was a brick wall, stopping 26 shots for his first regulation win in a couple of years, which is huge for him. Barzal, by the way, slotted in at center, flanked by Ondrej Palat and Anthony Duclair, with J-G Pageau still sidelined with his injury.
Record Setter and Road Warrior Reflections
Beyond Holmstrom’s hat trick, the scoring balance was unreal. But let’s talk about Matthew Schaefer for a second, because this kid just shattered another franchise mark. He became the youngest Islander *ever* to notch three assists in a single period, which is just insane. He and Holmstrom rightfully picked up the “Helmet and Oar” awards. Barzal reflected on his long road back from injury, talking about some dark times and how his mom’s visits really helped him out. He’s feeling good, like he and the docs have found an approach that’ll keep him out of that constant rehab grind he was stuck in last season, which is massive for the team’s long term. Oh, and his decision to play in Anaheim, made literally “about 45 minutes” before morning skate, actually triggered Kyle MacLean hitting waivers. And give it up for Casey Cizikas, who took a moment to reflect on what it took to hit 1,000 regular season games. What a warrior.
Meanwhile, for Our Boys in Teal…
And speaking of road trips, apparently Sebastian “the other” Aho is out there savoring his Carolina Hurricanes’ sweep of our Kraken on their Finland trip. Rough. Just for the record, our Seattle Kraken fell 5-1 to the Hurricanes in that final game. Not the kind of news we want to hear for our boys in the Emerald City.
The Islanders are heading back home now to host the Blue Jackets on Tuesday night. Let’s hope they keep that road momentum rolling into their building. For the Kraken, we’ll be watching to see how they bounce back from that Finland disappointment. It’s early, but every game counts!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Lighthouse Hockey.
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