The New York Islanders set the tone for the first half of their season by squandering a third-period lead in their opening game, against the Utah Hockey Club.
Three months and one day later, the Islanders hope a trip to Salt Lake City can serve as the spark for a second-half run.
The Islanders will visit Utah for the first time Saturday night in a matchup of teams trying to climb back into the playoff race.
The Islanders were off Friday, one day after posting a 4-0 win over the host Vegas Golden Knights.
Utah is completing a back-to-back home set after Barrett Hayton scored with 1:32 left in the third period on Friday night to lift the Hockey Club to a 2-1 win over the San Jose Sharks.
The victory over the Golden Knights allowed the Islanders to reach the halfway point of their season in encouraging fashion. It also served as a reminder of the long path ahead back into wild-card contention.
The win was the second straight for the Islanders, who would have fallen into last place in the Eastern Conference with a loss. New York is five points behind the Columbus Blue Jackets in the race for the final wild-card spot, though the Islanders have five teams to surpass.
They know a few of those points were frittered away during an inconsistent first half in which they failed to win more than two straight games. New York squandered a third-period lead Oct. 10 in Elmont, N.Y., in its season opener when Utah scored the final two goals to earn a 5-4 victory in overtime.
“We mean it when we say we have the confidence in the group to go out there and win on any given night,” said Brock Nelson, who scored the Islanders’ second goal on Thursday night. “You’d like to do it more than we have to this point.”
Utah also is in a better spot after Friday’s win, which was just its second in the last nine games (2-5-2). The Hockey Club, which relocated from Arizona last spring after the Coyotes missed the playoffs, is three points behind the Vancouver Canucks in the race for the second wild-card berth in the Western Conference.
Utah scored two goals or less for the seventh time in eight games on Friday night.
The victory was the first one-goal win for Utah since a 2-1 decision over the Minnesota Wild on Dec. 20. The Hockey Club was outscored 31-18 in the following eight games.
“The guys stayed with it and played really well defensively,” Utah coach Andre Tourigny said. “We want to win, we want to get in the (playoff race), we want to get climbing in the standings and all those things — and that comes with a ton of pressure internally and externally. And for all those reasons, I think that’s a good learning experience.”
–Field Level Media
