Islanders nip Lightning in OT for seventh straight win despite losing another defenseman
TAMPA, Fla.— Another Islanders defenseman got hurt.
Another (different) Islanders defenseman had a strong debut.And the Islanders won a seventh straight game to move within three points of a playoff spot.Ho-hum, right?The Islanders are the walking wounded, with Scott Mayfield and Mat Barzal joining the injured list Saturday night.The Islanders are the hottest team in the league, having won seven in a row after Tony DeAngelo’s overtime winner sealed a 3-2 victory over the Lightning for their first win at Amalie Arena since December 2019.Somehow, some way, those two facts are coexisting.“We can’t catch a break right now, obviously, with injuries and stuff,” Bo Horvat said after his outlet pass sprung DeAngelo for the game-winner 32 seconds into the extra period.“We’ve got great vibes right now, as you guys can imagine,” DeAngelo said.Yeah, it’s a little strange in Islanders-land at the moment.“First of all, never been a part of a team that had so many injuries, and not just minor ones,” coach Patrick Roy said.
“Guys missing for a long period of time since the start of the year, it’s incredible.But the group’s resilient and the group doesn’t look for excuses.”Since the beginning of this winning streak, all three of Mayfield, Noah Dobson and Ryan Pulock have now gotten hurt — with Isaiah George, a lefty, also being sent down on Friday.
Even before Mayfield’s injury, the Islanders defense on Saturday included DeAngelo, Adam Boqvist and Scott Perunovich, none of whom were with the club seven days prior.So, naturally, it was Boqvist — in his first game with the club — who got the Islanders onto the scoreboard, following Barzal’s breakaway shot by banging in a rebound to tie the game at one with just under two minutes to go in the second period.They came up empty on their first power play of the night early in the third, but converted mere seconds after the game returned to even strength, with Kyle Palmieri’s one-timer taking t...