*Photo from Yahoo News*
After starting the season with a lengthy road trip and losing the first games at their brand new home arena, the New York Islanders finally have the monkey off their backs. At least for now. Andy Greene scored, Zach Parise scored, and the Islanders defeated the New Jersey Devils 4-2 on Saturday night on Long Island.
It's the first win in the brand new UBS Arena for the Islanders, who were 0-5-2 in their first 7 games at their new home, which was a record for most consecutive home losses to open a new arena. It's the first regular season home win for the Islanders since May 8, when they beat, guess who, the Devils. Greene and Parise both scoring against their former team was what propelled the Islanders to victory.
Islanders head coach Barry Trotz said of the first home win that "I'll give the fans credit for the win because they stuck with us through the whole game, they stuck with us through the last six or seven home games. I was sitting in the office here and you could hear the thunder of the fans in the locker room, in the coaches room. That's fantastic. That's why the Islander fans are special."
With 2:59 left in the first period, Jesper Bratt broke the scoreless tie, giving the Devils a 1-0 lead on his 8th goal of the season. 44 seconds later, on the power play, Noah Dobson tied it 1-1 on his 3rd goal of the season. 40 seconds after Dobson scored, Jack Hughes put the Devils right back ahead, making it a 2-1 lead after one period.
In the second period, Greene tied the game 2-2 when he scored his first goal of the season 8:33 into the period, assisted by Mathew Barzal and Josh Bailey. While shorthanded, Parise got a breakaway chance and buried his first goal of the season 16:33 into the period, giving the Islanders a 3-2 lead. Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored 9:37 into the 3rd period to make it a 4-2 lead, which held the rest of the way.
Parise talked about his first goal of the season, saying "I had my mind made up right when I got the puck on where I was going to go. Everyone wants to contribute and we've been working hard to try and win games. From an individual standpoint when you're not producing and you're losing by that one goal, that one shot, it starts to get a little frustrating, but as a group we really picked each other up and have been supportive of each other."
Getting the first win in the new arena for New York was Ilya Sorokin, who put together a good outing in this one. Sorokin turned aside 30 of 32 shots, posting a .938 save percentage. With the win, Sorokin's record bumps up to a 7-6-4 mark in 17 starts this season.
Making his NHL debut for the Devils was Akira Schmid, called up from the AHL with Jonathan Bernier looking to be out for a while. Schmid saved 25 of the 29 shots on goal the Islanders sent his way, posting a .862 save percentage as he lost his first start, for a 0-1-0 record.
Asked about his NHL debut, Schmid said it was a "Great experience, but obviously I would've preferred to come out with a win than a loss. But just good to get that information about how it's played in the NHL, that you're ready or that at least could play here."
The Devils hit the road for a Tuesday night matchup against the Philadelphia Flyers, with Mackenzie Blackwood likely to be back in action. The Islanders also get on the road for a matchup with the Detroit Red Wings, where Sorokin is likely to start again.
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