On Tuesday, Dec. 9, the New York Islanders hosted the Vegas Golden Knights. The season series began in Vegas on Nov. 13, when the Islanders won 4-3 in overtime. The Islanders beat the Golden Knights 5-4 in the shootout tonight. With both games resulting in an Islanders victory, they also swept the season series.
Game Recap
Following three penalties, including a 4-on-4 to start the first period, the Golden Knights scored the first goal of the game. Jack Eichel took a shot from the faceoff dot. Ilya Sorokin made a pad save, but it went straight to Noah Hanifin. He shot the rebound to score the first goal of the game.
Vegas won the faceoff in their zone four minutes later, and they scored a goal that mirrored their first one. Kaeden Korczak took a shot, and Sorokin made the pad save. It found Mitch Marner in the faceoff circle, and he sent it home for a two-goal lead.
Seconds ticked down in the first frame, and Matthew Schaefer passed the puck to Ryan Pulock at the blue line. He sent it to Bo Horvat in the faceoff circle, who took a shot to put the Islanders on the board.
Early in the second, Casey Cizikas skated the puck around the back of the net in the Islanders’ zone. He quickly spun around and found Marc Gatcomb in front of the net. He received the pass and scored to tie the game.
Halfway into the second, the Islanders cleared the puck from Vegas’ zone and began making a breakaway for theirs. Cal Ritchie passed the puck to Simon Holmstrom as he breached the zone. He skated up and took a shot that hit the crossbar and into the net.
Ivan Barbashev tied the game just a minute and a half into the third with a pass from Braeden Bowman.
Eight minutes into the third, Pavel Dorofeyev took a seat for hooking Anthony Duclair. Thirty seconds remained, and the Islanders made a push. Barzal passed to Horvat in the center of the ice. He took a shot through traffic, including Shea Theodore who was missing a stick, and the Islanders were back in the lead.
Seconds remained in the game and Marner held the puck near the blue line. He took a shot, but it deflected off Tomas Hertl in front of the net. The loose puck found Dorofeyev next to the net. He took a shot and tied the game.
The game was tied, so the two teams headed to overtime. Vegas monopolized the ice time, taking five shots while the Islanders didn’t take any. Five minutes of 3-on-3 was not enough, so a shootout was needed to determine the winner.
It took four rounds of the shootout before someone scored, but Emil Heineman was the hero for the hometown crowd. He was the only player to score in the shootout, ensuring the Islanders’ victory.
Next Up
Both teams will be back in action on Thursday, Dec. 11. The Golden Knights will take on the Philadelphia Flyers. The Islanders will host the Anaheim Ducks.
