*Photo from Lighthouse Hockey*
So far, so good down on the Island. Brock Nelson and Noah Dobson had two assist games, Oliver Wahlstrom scored twice, and the New York Islanders defeated the San Jose Sharks with a 5-2 victory on Tuesday night down on Long Island.
Coming off a dismal 2021-2022 season that saw the Islanders finish with 84 points, 16 out of a playoff spot, they've looked like a better team to start this season. It's only been 3 games, but they do have a 2-1-0 record, with both wins coming in a row.
Islanders forward Matt Martin said of the start to the season that "We want to find consistency in our game. If you get off to a good start, when you do hit adversity throughout the year, there is a little bit of wiggle room there. You are not feeling the weight of the world on your back."
The only goal of the first period came from Nico Sturm, who gave the Sharks a 1-0 lead 12:50 into the game, assisted by Jaycob Megna and Evgeny Svechnikov on his second goal of the season. Anders Lee got the Islanders on the board, scoring 10:03 into the second period to tie the game 1-1, assisted by Nelson and Adam Pelech.
At the 14:48 mark of the second, Zach Parise gave the Islanders a 2-1 lead on his first goal of the season. Svechnikov responded for the Sharks with the game tying goal, knotting the score up at 2-2. With just 56 seconds left in the second, Wahlstrom picked up his first goal of the night, giving the Islanders a 3-2 lead.
In the 3rd period, Wahlstrom struck again for the Islanders, making it a 4-2 game on his 3rd goal of the season and second of the night, coming 5:24 into the period, assisted by Dobson. With the net empty and 2:26 left on the clock, Cal Clutterbuck scored to make the Islanders lead 5-2, with Martin and Pelech getting assists.
Islanders head coach Lane Lambert said of Wahlstrom's play that "He is playing free. I like the little details that he's doing. I think anytime you're a guy who is a shooter or a scorer, if you do the details and the little things in the game, it leads to that. So I think he's doing those things very well."
Getting the start for the Islanders was Semyon Varlamov, who was making his season debut. Varlamov got the win to improve to 1-0-0, stopping 26 out of the 28 shots on goal the Sharks had, recording a .929 save percentage between the pipes.
Starting opposite Varlamov was San Jose's James Reimer. He could not get the team their first win of the season, falling to 0-3-0. Reimer turned aside 41 of the 45 shots that the Islanders peppered him with, which was good for a .911 save percentage.
Up next, the Islanders look to keep winning when they welcome the New Jersey Devils to town on Thursday night, with Ilya Sorokin in line to start. The Sharks face the New York Rangers on Thursday night, with Reimer the projected starter.
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