The New York Islanders didn’t exactly put together their cleanest performance against the Vancouver Canucks, but they did get the result they needed. A 3-2 win at UBS Arena closed out their three-game homestand on a positive note, and the early burst they’d been hunting finally showed up.
That start mattered. Coming into the game, the Islanders had been trying to clean up their first periods after managing just one first-period goal through their first five games. Against Vancouver, they changed that script by striking twice before the first intermission.
The second period brought a lull, and the game was knotted 2-2 heading into the third. But the Islanders found their edge again when it counted, leaning back into the kind of urgency that carried them to a needed win.
A fresh look on the blue line played a role in that.
With Alexander Romanov out for the season after suffering a season-ending injury against the New York Rangers, head coach Peter DeBoer had to keep adjusting his defense pairs. Scott Mayfield had been in the lineup for two games, but he was scratched against Vancouver. In his place, Matthew Kessel got the call, and he wasted no time making himself noticeable.
Kessel picked up a secondary assist on Kyle Palmieri’s opening goal, giving the Islanders an early lift in what became his season debut.
“It’s obviously just trying to stay steady for me,” Kessel said, via Tyler Millen of NHL.com. “You don't want to get too amped up and thinking way too much.
You just want to be confident in your game. Focus on your few things that makes you a good hockey player and what got you here.
And so I think it's just those things, and it makes it easier out there to take those couple of things, focus on those things, just play your game, and it's good to get one in after obviously playing some preseason games, but good to get the first regular season game in there.”
That kind of contribution fits the way the Islanders want to operate early in the season. DeBoer has been searching for offense and isn’t afraid to shuffle his lines during a game if he thinks it can spark something. Kessel gave them exactly that in his first appearance.
He stepped into Mayfield’s spot beside Tony DeAngelo, another example of the moving pieces New York is sorting through on the back end. With so many right-handed defensemen in the mix, the balance of the lineup still needs sorting out. But the presence of Matthew Schaefer gives the Islanders a versatile option to help hold it all together.
Kessel’s night also carried some personal significance. Signed to a one-year deal over the offseason, he reached his 100th NHL appearance against the Canucks after spending the last four seasons with the St. Louis Blues.
If this game is any indication, he’s done enough to earn another look. New York should have him back in the lineup when it returns to action on Oct. 15 against the Ottawa Senators.
In Other News...
Mathew Barzal Found Unexpected Inspiration During His Injury Comeback
Mathew Barzals road back from a knee injury has been a long one, but an unexpected moment on live television gave the Islanders forward a boost he probably did not see coming. During an appearance on Fox & Friends, Barzal was surprised by Tommy Ryan, a fan whose connection to the team and to Barzal goes back to Ryans hospitalization, when he credited the Islanders for helping him get through leukemia treatment.
The relationship has grown from there, including a previous meeting at UBS Arena, and Ryans presence clearly hit home for Barzal as he continues working his way through recovery. For a player trying to navigate the patience and grind of coming back, finding motivation in the story of a fan who drew strength from him in the first place is a reminder that these ties can run both ways. [Read more 🡒]
Matthew Schaefer Is Giving Islanders Fans A Massive Reason To Believe
At 19, Matthew Schaefer is already logging a workload that would be notable for a veteran, let alone a rookie defenseman. The Islanders are trusting him with 25:26 of ice time per game, and even in a role that still leaves him with limited shorthanded duty, his influence has been obvious every night hes on the ice.
The numbers back up what the eye test suggests. Schaefers underlying profile includes a 54.9% expected goals share and 3.52 expected goals for per 60 minutes, markers of a player driving play rather than just surviving it. With that kind of start, it is easy to see why the conversation around him is already stretching far beyond this season and into the kind of upside that can reshape a blue line. [Read more 🡒]
Islanders Got The Exact Boost They Needed In A Tight Win
Kyle Palmieri gave the Islanders exactly the kind of lift they had been waiting for in a 3-2 win over the Canucks, scoring twice and finishing the night with the deciding goal. It was the sort of timely contribution New York needed in a tight game, and it came with the added significance of Palmieri continuing to work his way back after ACL surgery, a process the team has been watching closely.
Matias Maccelli also fit neatly into the picture, scoring his first goal as an Islander and helping create the winner after getting moved up to the top line. Head coach Pete DeBoer praised both players afterward, pointing to Palmieris return and Maccellis motivation and performance as encouraging signs for a team looking for more reliable offense when the margins are thin. [Read more 🡒]