The New York Islanders absolutely blitzed the Anaheim Ducks with three goals in the first period last night, grinding out a tight 3-2 win that marks their second straight victory. It was a wild start to the game, and honestly, the Ducks just couldn’t recover from that early onslaught. The Islanders are looking solid, now sitting at 3-0-1 in their last four games, while Anaheim is stuck in a really tough spot, dropping their fourth in a row.
Isles Explode Early, Ducks Scramble to Keep Up
Things kicked off with a bang when Ondrej Palat opened the scoring for the Islanders with 6:21 left in the first period. Jean-Gabriel Pageau threaded a sweet pass to Palat, who fired a wrist shot straight past Ducks goalie Lukas Dostal. Less than three minutes later, Viktor Eklund doubled the lead. Emil Heineman took a wrist shot from the blue line, and Eklund was right there to corral the loose puck and bury it for his second goal of the season. What a start, right? But Anaheim wasn’t completely out of it. Just 49 seconds after Eklund’s goal, Frank Vatrano pulled the Ducks within one, lifting a backhander past Ilya Sorokin after a feed from A.J. Greer. Talk about a rollercoaster! The Islanders, though, weren’t done in the period. Simon Holmstrom restored their two-goal advantage with a power-play goal with only 1:18 left, deflecting Mathew Schaefer’s shot from the point past Dostal. That first period was absolutely wild.
Sorokin Locks It Down, Ducks Fight Until The End
After that bonkers first period, the Islanders needed to hold strong, and Ilya Sorokin did his part, making 15 saves to help seal the win. On the other side, Lukas Dostal put up a fight, finishing with 22 saves, but three goals in the first was just too much to overcome. The Ducks kept pushing, though. Alex Killorn brought them back within a goal with just 2:40 left in the third period, making those final minutes super intense. But Sorokin and the Islanders clamped down, preventing Anaheim from finding that equalizer.
This win keeps the Islanders on a hot streak, showing they can score early and then defend a lead. For the Ducks, it’s another tough loss, extending a cold run that they desperately need to break. Up next, the Ducks are heading to New Jersey to face the Devils on Thursday night. The Islanders will be back home, hosting Los Angeles, also on Thursday night. Big games coming up for both squads!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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