ELMONT, NY — There were so many things to like about the way the New York Islanders handled business against the New Jersey Devils last night.
They kept their foot on the gas, scoring six unanswered goals over the final two periods. Victor Eklund took advantage of his top-six minutes, recording a goal and an assist.
The power play scored, courtesy of a stellar keep-in by Matthew Schaefer at the blue line before Bo Horvat finished off a catch-and-release from the slot:
Ilya Sorokin made 37 saves, 11 of them high-danger.
The penalty kill went 5-for-5, allowing just five total shots while adding a shorthanded goal late courtesy of Casey Cizikas.
Schaefer, before that power play assist, recorded his first point of the season, picking up the secondary assist on Brayden Schenn’s goal that made it 2-0 five minutes into the second period.
But that wasn’t the most important thing about Schaefer’s night.