ELMONT, N.Y. — For a New York Islanders team that couldn’t get out of their own way in third periods this season, they might have stumbled upon a new philosophical adage: The best defense is an aggressive offense.
“I totally agree with that,” Islanders forward Mathew Barzal told amNewYork when posed with that notion.
Carrying a 4-2 lead into the third period of Thursday night’s game against the last-place Columbus Blue Jackets, the Islanders flirted with disaster once again just 1:27 into the frame when the visitors’ rookie star Adam Fantilli popped home his second goal of the night after a slow-moving puck slid through the legs of a whiffing defenseman, Scott Mayfield, to make it a one-goal game.
Cue that familiar feeling of impending doom.
Just two nights prior on Tuesday against an equally-lowly San Jose Sharks, the Islanders blew a 4-1 third-period lead — allowing all three goals in a 6:35 span — before falling 5-4 in overtime. It was the 10th time this season that they squandered a lead in the last period and the fifth time they lost a game leading after two frames.
While the team preached playing more aggressively, they rarely showed it down home stretches of games, but Thursday night was different.
Barzal scored his second goal on a night in which he posted four points while Bo Horvat scored two in 20 seconds to put New York out of sight in a 7-3 victory over Columbus.
“I think sometimes, it’s in our gameplan and in our DNA to play good defense but our forward group can play with anybody and then we can score with anybody as we’re proving as of late,” Barzal said. “So sometimes, you have to let the doors open and let us go out there and win a game.”
Islanders exorcise some 3rd period demons, stomp Blue Jackets 7-3
The Islanders outshot the Blue Jackets 15-9 in the third in what was the first time they outshot an opponent in the final frame since Nov. 11 during a 4-1 loss to the Washington Capitals. Over those 11 games, they were otushot 153-86 — a staggering minus-67 differential.
The equation is rather simple: Spend more time in the opponent’s end, the less time spent defending and creating precarious situations.
“That’s the best defense, anyway, is playing in their end,” Horvat said. “I think we have to continue to keep doing that in those third periods.”
New York enterd Thursday night’s play with a minus-17 goal different this season as they were being outscored 34-17. The three third-period goals on Tuesday tied a season-high while the two points earned, almost remarkably, has them sitting in third place in the division despite all of the late-game issues.
“This just gave us some belief that we can go out there and do it,” Horvat said. “That was just playing in the offensive zone, not sitting back on our heels and waiting for them to come at us and feel sorry for ourselves and be like, ‘here we go again’ and I thought we did a great job of that.”
