Islanders dominate Jets in 6-2 win
WINNIPEG, Manitoba -- The New York Islanders got an early start on their New Year's celebration with impressive work at both ends of the ice in a 6-2 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday night.
The cellar dwellers in the Metropolitan Division outchecked, outskated and outscored their hosts on the last night of 2016.
Captain John Tavares scored the winning goal and Thomas Greiss stopped 32 shots.
The Islanders might want to petition the NHL to play on New Year's Eve every year. They're 10-0-1 in last 11 games on Dec. 31. The last time they lost before the calendar turned was 1998.
In the third period, left winger Anders Lee notched his 14th goal of the season -- but presumably just his first one-handed -- when he directed a pass from right winger Josh Bailey behind Hutchinson at 8:38 while Trouba had his left arm tied up.
Then Andrew Ladd scored his eighth of the season when he got off a wrist shot from the slot before being leveled by defenseman Dustin Byfuglien at 10:18. Ladd captained the Jets for nearly five seasons before being moved at the trade deadline last season but has struggled mightily since signing a monster contract as a free agent last summer.
The Jets got one more goal in garbage time when rookie phenom Patrik Laine found linemate Nikolaj Ehlers to the right of the Islanders' goal on a late power play. The left winger waited for Greiss to go down and calmly roofed it over him.
The Islanders opened the scoring shortly before the midway point of the first period after Connor Hellebuyck was unable to control an innocent-looking wrist shot from left winger Nikolay Kulemin. The rebound popped out to the goalie's right and Kulemin followed up and ripped a shot high over the Jets goalie for his fifth of the season at 6:54.
The Islanders extended the lead after a sloppy breakout attempt by the Jets.
Joel Armia's pass from the right boards, which was intended for defenseman Josh Morrissey, was intercepted by Bailey. The right winger fed captain John Tavares, who found himself all alone in front of Hellebuyck and his backhand deke put the Islanders up 2-0 at 12:25. It was Tavares's 11th goal of the season.
New York removed whatever air was left in the building less than 2 1/2 minutes into the second period. After a dump-in that the Jets couldn't handle behind their own net, right winger Ryan Strome found linemate Shane Prince alone in the slot and his wrister found the mesh behind Hellebuyck.
On the ensuing shot during the following shift, which Hellebuyck gloved, the crowd gave him a sarcastic round of applause.
The Jets' second-year goalie didn't last the period, however. Just seconds after the Islanders had killed off a penalty, Strome beat Hellebuyck to the five-hole for his sixth goal of the season. So after giving up four goals on just 15 shots, Hellebuyck was pulled with 5:47 left in the period.
When Michael Hutchinson was announced as his replacement, he was given a rousing ovation.
The Jets broke through while short-handed when defenseman Jacob Trouba carried the puck into the Islanders zone, rounded the net and found Shawn Matthias alone in the slot. The left winger ripped a wrist shot home past Greiss for his fourth goal of the season with just 30 seconds left in the period.
NOTES: Healthy scratches for the Jets were C Alex Burmistrov, D Mark Stuart and RW Chris Thorburn. Joining them from the Islanders were RW Stephen Gionta, D Adam Pelech and LW Anthony Beauvillier. ... Jets D Dustin Byfuglien leads all non-goalies with an average of 27 minutes, 30 seconds of ice time per game. ... The Islanders lead the NHL in blocked shots with 665. Defenseman Calvin de Haan has been most willing to sacrifice his body with 101 blocked shots. ... The Islanders have won the last three meetings with the Jets, including both games last season. They have also beaten the Jets four consecutive times at the MTS Centre. ... Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff is a former draft pick of the Islanders, having been selected 16th overall in the 1988 entry draft. ... The Jets were 4 of 14 on the power play in their last four games.