Anaheim Ducks vs New York Islanders — Recap

📰Game Recap

The New York Islanders built an early lead and withstood a late push from the Anaheim Ducks to secure a 3-2 victory. New York surged ahead with three goals in a busy first period, a lead they would not relinquish despite Anaheim's efforts in the third. Ilya Sorokin stopped 15 of 17 shots for the Islanders. The Ducks recorded 17 shots on goal compared to New York's 25, with Lukas Dostal making 22 saves on 25 shots for Anaheim.

Ondrej Palat opened the scoring for the Islanders at 13:39 of the first period, assisted by Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Anthony Duclair. Victor Eklund extended New York's lead to 2-0 with a goal at 16:28, with assists from Emil Heineman and Matthew Kessel. Anaheim quickly responded as Frank Vatrano found the net at 17:18, assisted by A.J. Greer and Leo Carlsson. However, Simon Holmstrom re-established New York's two-goal advantage at 18:44, assisted by Matthew Schaefer and Bo Horvat, to close out a four-goal opening frame for a 3-1 Islanders lead.

The second period remained scoreless as both defenses tightened. Anaheim intensified its attack in the third period, with Alex Killorn scoring at 17:20, assisted by Leo Carlsson and Jackson LaCombe, to narrow the deficit to 3-2. Despite the late pressure and Anaheim attempting to rally, Sorokin held firm through the final minutes. SportsFBI's model indicated the Islanders had a 68% probability of winning this contest, which proved correct. The Islanders now stand at 4-3-1, while the Ducks' record is 4-4-0.