The New York Islanders and Minnesota Wild are each coming off one-goal decisions going into their game Saturday night in Saint Paul, Minn.
The contest will be the last for both teams before the break for the 4 Nations Face-Off, which will run from Feb. 12-20 in Montreal and Boston.
The Wild broke a two-game losing streak with Thursday night’s 2-1 home win over the Carolina Hurricanes, while the Islanders fell 4-3 to the host Winnipeg Jets on Friday night but have won eight of their last 10 games (8-2-0).
New York led 2-1 after the first period on Friday, thanks to goals by Simon Holmstrom and Marc Gatcomb, but the Jets responded with three in the second period.
Kyle Palmieri picked up a goal in the third period for the Islanders. Ilya Sorokin, who lost for the first time since Jan. 16, stopped 23 shots.
“We did a lot of good things tonight,” New York center Bo Horvat said Friday. “I thought we fought back. But at the end of the day, we couldn’t get the job done tonight.
“I thought in the first we were good. We let our foot off the gas for a minute in the second. We knew they would come, and they did. We fought back in the third period to make it a close game.”
Islanders coach Patrick Roy agreed.
“We played really well in the first and third periods. Played very well, took a lead,” Roy said. “I think in the second period, we lost coverage, and that cost us two of the three goals.”
On Thursday, meanwhile, Filip Gustavsson made 37 saves for Minnesota.
“Whether it’s lifting sticks, shot blocking and not allowing second efforts,” Wild coach John Hynes said. “I thought we also did a good job. If the puck was in those areas or below the goal line, we had five players tight. And then when they did get some looks, because they’re going to, I thought ‘Gus’ (Gustavsson) really competed tonight in scrums and battles, and it was going to be one where your goaltender has to compete in traffic tonight, and he did a nice job.”
Yakov Trenin and Vinnie Hinostroza supplied the goals for the Wild. Hinostroza was playing his first game for the team after being claimed off waivers from the Nashville Predators on Wednesday.
“Yeah, (I) felt really good,” Hinostroza said Thursday. “Obviously, lot of emotions. Entering a new locker room sometimes can be hard to do, but this group couldn’t have made it easier for me today. So I’m just happy to be a part of this. Got in late last night, so I’ll go back and get some sleep tonight, and then back at it tomorrow. So it’ll be nice to see a little bit of down time.”
Minnesota forward Ryan Hartman will serve the third contest of his 10-game suspension for using his forearm to slam the head of Ottawa’s Tim Stutzle to the ice last Saturday.
Hartman has 17 points (seven goals, 10 assists) in 48 games. The NHL Players Association has filed an appeal of the suspension on Hartman’s behalf.
–Field Level Media
