Bo Horvat made sure the New York Islanders left Toronto with control of the night.
Horvat scored the game-winner and chipped in an assist as the Islanders handled the Maple Leafs 4-1 on Saturday night, with Simon Holmstrom scoring twice and Anthony Duclair also finding the net. Ilya Sorokin backed it up with 28 saves as New York moved to 4-3-1.
Toronto never found enough offense to keep pace. Colton Sissons scored the lone goal for the Maple Leafs, while Sergei Bobrovsky finished with 16 stops. The loss was Toronto’s third straight and its fourth in the last five games.
The Islanders got the jump early and never really let go. Duclair opened the scoring at 8:18 of the first period, taking a pass in the slot, shifting the angle, and sending a shot through a partial screen past Bobrovsky.
New York carried that edge into the second, where Sorokin shut down a couple of looks from Maple Leafs winger Kirill Marchenko, who had a hat trick in Thursday’s 5-4 home shootout loss to the Buffalo Sabres. Later in the period, No. 1 overall pick Gavin McKenna had a chance to even things on a partial breakaway, but he fired high and wide. The Islanders turned the miss into momentum the other way, and Horvat made it 2-0 at 18:33.
Toronto did push back. Sissons cut the deficit to one at 3:54 of the third period with a tipped shot through traffic, briefly giving the home side life.
But the Islanders answered again, and Holmstrom restored the two-goal cushion at 14:08 after set-up work from Horvat. Holmstrom added his second into the empty net with a little more than two minutes left.
There was also a scare for New York when Matias Maccelli left in the first period and did not return because of an apparent lower-body injury. The winger, who played for Toronto last season, stepped on the stick of defenceman Darren Raddysh and fell awkwardly.
Toronto had its own injury news before puck drop. The club announced veteran centre John Tavares is out week-to-week with a lower-body injury from Thursday’s game. The 36-year-old has two goals and five assists in seven games this season.
The Islanders also survived a brief third-period penalty kill after Matthew Schaefer sent the puck over the glass midway through the period with New York up 2-1. Toronto couldn’t make it count.
Schaefer, who won last season’s Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year and has yet to score this season, is still one goal away from tying Tim Connolly for the most by a teenager in franchise history with 24. Bryan Trottier leads that list with 32.
New York hosts the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday, while Toronto welcomes the San Jose Sharks on Monday.
In Other News...
Islanders Finally Get A Real Read On Quinn Finley
Quinn Finley finally got a real game to show the Islanders what he can do, making his American Hockey League debut with Hamilton after a long road back from shoulder surgery. It was his first taste of pro action in a meaningful setting, and he made it count right away by picking up his first AHL point on an assist in his return to play.
For Finley, the outing was as much about getting back into the flow as it was about the box score. He said he was satisfied to be back on the ice, and Hamilton coach Jay McKee came away impressed with the speed, hockey IQ and shot that had made Finley such an intriguing player in the first place. For a prospect the Islanders have had to monitor carefully, the next step is simply getting more of those looks. [Read more 🡒]
Islanders Already Know Who Can Help Romanov Through This Brutal Rehab
Alexander Romanovs season is on hold after the Islanders defenseman suffered an ACL tear in his right knee in the third game of the year, a setback that will require surgery and keep him out for a long stretch. For a player whose game leans on mobility and edge work, it is the kind of injury that turns every step of the recovery process into its own test, and the Islanders already know that the next several months will be about more than just waiting for him to get healthy.
Kyle Palmieri has become a familiar voice in that process. The forward has been down this road himself after an ACL injury, and he has been helping Romanov navigate the grind of rehab while drawing on the support he once received from Anders Lee during his own comeback. For a locker room that has seen what this kind of injury demands, that shared experience could matter just as much as the surgery and the timetable ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Islanders Are Running Out Of Time To Solve Their Biggest Problem
The Islanders have spent much of the early season trying to solve the same problem from different angles: the defense has generally held up, but the goals have not followed. With the attack stuck in neutral, Pete DeBoer has started shuffling the forward group in search of something closer to balanced scoring across four lines, a process that has touched several regulars and forced the lineup to keep changing as the team looks for a spark.
Kyle Palmieris role has been altered while he continues to work his way back from a knee injury, and that is part of the reason the Isles have not yet found a stable combination. Simon Holmstrom and Matias Maccelli have also seen their usage adjusted as the club tries to cover for the absence of Mathew Barzal, leaving the next few games to answer whether these tweaks are a temporary patch or the beginning of a more lasting fix. [Read more 🡒]