Here is how the Islanders can survive whatever injuries come.
asserted
injuries → survive → ?
Play like they did Tuesday.
asserted
they → play → ?
Play territorial, tight hockey, hound the puck relentlessly and outwork teams that are still easing into the season.
asserted
that → play → season
Do all of that and the players who are missing from the lineup will not be so front of mind.
asserted
who → do → mind
Do all of that, and there will be a lot more games like Tuesday’s 3-2 win over Anaheim, in which the Islanders played their most complete 60 minutes of the season to improve their record to 5-3-1 with the hapless Kings coming into town Thursday.
asserted
Kings → do → town
This was a near-perfect showcase of how the Islanders can make it through the next few weeks, and the philosophy showcased Tuesday would be the right one even if Mat Barzal, Calum Ritchie and Matias Maccelli received clean bills of health tomorrow.
asserted
Barzal → make → health
The Islanders weren’t perfect and missed chances to put away Anaheim in the second period, but they were hardworking and, mostly, smart with the puck.
asserted
they → miss → puck
They owned the neutral zone, suffocating Anaheim for shifts at a time.
asserted
They → own → time
They backchecked.
asserted
They → backchecke → ?
They looked all game like the faster team despite being the far older team — a sign of preparedness if there ever was one.
asserted
They → look → preparedness
Even so, failing to make good on any chances in the second period meant the Islanders went into the third leading 3-1, still needing to stitch up the result.
asserted
Islanders → fail → result
The score stayed right there, with Jean-Gabriel Pageau’s short-handed attempt drawing iron, but the Islanders rarely looked troubled.
asserted
Islanders → stay → iron
They continued to own the puck.
asserted
They → continue → puck
When the Ducks emptied their net with 3:32 to go, they had just two shots in the period.
asserted
they → empty → period
Their third, an Alex Killorn one-timer in the slot, made it a 3-2 game with 2:40 to go.
asserted
it → make → 2:40
If there was a criticism to be had of this Islanders performance, it’s that they played with their food, and it nearly came back to bite them.
asserted
it → be → them
Nevertheless, it didn’t.
asserted
it → do → ?
The four goals in the first period had all come in a 5:05-long flurry, starting with Ondrej Palat burying Pageau’s feed off the rush.
asserted
Palat → come → rush
Victor Eklund doubled the lead off Emil Heineman’s rebound before Frank Vatrano pulled one back for the Ducks, having been lost in the crease by Tony DeAngelo.
asserted
Vatrano → double → DeAngelo
The Islanders got their third on the power play with Matthew Schaefer’s bullet from the top of the zone that was tipped in by Simon Holmstrom, denying No. 48 his first goal of the season, albeit happily so.
asserted
that → get → season
Kyle MacLean and Mitchell Chaffee, the two injury-induced additions to the lineup, both had solid nights on the fourth line with Casey Cizikas.
asserted
MacLean → induce → Cizikas
Chaffee dropped gloves with A.J. Greer, the latter challenging him after a legal hit on Vatrano along the boards.
asserted
latter → drop → boards
While DeAngelo had a few too many questionable decisions in his own end, there was little overall to nitpick in the Islanders’ game.
asserted
DeAngelo → have → game
Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock had one of their better games as a pair so far.
asserted
Pelech → have → pair
Matt Kessel had his best game of the season so far.
asserted
Kessel → have → season
All four lines contributed.
asserted
lines → contribute → ?
This was, in whole, the closest the Islanders have come to Pete DeBoer’s vision of what they can be.
asserted
they → come → vision
The timing of this performance made it all the more a statement.
asserted
more → make → performance
The Aporia
