The Detroit Red Wings pulled out a 4-2 win over the New York Islanders on Monday night at the UBS Arena. The Red Wings rallied in the third period to earn a come-from-behind victory. With the win, the Red Wings swept their season series against the Islanders.
Moritz Seider, Dylan Larkin, Lucas Raymond and Simon Edvinsson (EN) scored for the Detroit Red Wings. Meanwhile, Islanders captain Anders Lee opened the scoring in the first, with Kyle Palmieri adding his 10th of the season in the second period.
So, here’s a look at three reasons why the Detroit Red Wings beat the New York Islanders on Monday night.
Three reasons why the Detroit Red Wings beat the New York Islanders
#3 The Wings were resilient
The Detroit Red Wings have struggled at times this season. However, they are playing with a sense of urgency, as the club can sense their playoff hopes dwindling.
So, the Wings clawed their way back in the third period, down 2-1 after 40 minutes. Larkin tied the game at 11:20 of the third despite getting outplayed by the Islanders for a fair chuck of the third.
Raymond got the go-ahead goal about two minutes later, encouraging the Red Wings to clamp down on the final six minutes or so.
#2 Alex Lyon kept the Wings in the game
Monday night’s game was the second time this season the Islanders were stymied by Alex Lyon. On Oct. 22, Lyon shut out the Islanders as the Wings took the game 1-0.
This time around, the Detroit Red Wings backup made 27 saves to keep the Islanders in check. In particular, Lyon was strong in the third period as the Isles outshot the Wings 13-9. All told, the Islanders had a 29-21 advantage in shots.
However, it was Lyon’s strong performance that gave the Red Wings a fighting chance to win the game.
#1 The Red Wings took advantage of the crumbling Isles
A theme throughout the season has been the Islanders’ inability to hold third-period leads. Once again, they crumbled, giving up three goals in the final frame.
The Isles led up to the 11-minute mark of the third but couldn’t close the deal. In particular, the Red Wings maintained impressive puck movement during the sequence that led to Raymond's go-ahead goal.
As the Isles skated in circles, the Wings passed the puck around, leading to a point shot that Raymond redirected. Raymond screened Islanders goalie Semyon Varlamov for the game-winner.
The Detroit Red Wings were fortunate to take advantage of the Islanders’ continuing third-period struggles, allowing them to skate away with the win. The Red Wings will have a day off on Tuesday before taking on the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night.