ELMONT, NY — Had the New York Islanders played as they did on Tuesday night at UBS Arena against the NHL-best Winnipeg Jets, perhaps they would not be staring down the possibility of saying goodbye to some long-time contributors.
Brock Nelson, one of the Islanders’ most-coveted trade chips, scored a goal and added an assist as his long-time club took down the Jets 3-2 in their final game before Friday’s 3 p.m. ET trade deadline.
Kyle Palmieri, who is also another potential deadline casualty, scored a goal while netminder Ilya Sorokin made 28 saves outdueling Vezina Trophy favorite Connor Hellebuyck.
Defenseman Ryan Pulock scored early in the third to clinch the win, which came just 24 hours after they were shut out 4-0 by the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.
“I could tell that the guys were ready for this game,” head coach Patrick Roy said. “We knew we were playing against a very good hockey club, and we had to come up with a slid team effort, and that’s exactly what we got.”
The win moves New York (28-26-7, 63 points) within three points of the final Wild Card playoff berth, though four teams still sit between them and the Rangers, who hold that final spot.
“There’s a lot going on for sure,” Nelson said. “But I’m just trying to worry about playing hockey, even though there’s obviously more that goes into it, in terms of a lot of things and emotions… but first and foremost, I thought this was a really big win for us.”
Palmieri hooked up with Nelson on the power play to put the Islanders ahead at the 16:49 mark of the first period. After receiving a feed in the right circle from Bo Horvat, Nelson sent a cross-ice feed to Palmieri, who fired home his 20th goal of the season to put the hosts ahead.
“It’s out of my control,” Palmieri said about playing with the trade rumors looming over him. “I think it’s one of those things that’s a part of the business. I’ve been around long enough to be traded, see friends get traded. It’s not something you can focus on.”
Nelson picked up his goal 1:33 into the second period to double the Islanders’ advantage when he stuffed home a give-and-go with Maxim Tsyplakov into a wide-open net for his 20th goal of the season.
The veteran center now has nine 20-goal seasons with the Islanders, making him just the seventh player in franchise history to have at least nine such campaigns.
Winnipeg pulled one back 8:48 into the frame when defenseman Josh Morrissey’s point shot deflected off Islanders forward Simon Holmstrom and slid past the foot of Sorokin as he was moving toward his right post.
Pulock restored the Islanders’ two-goal advantage 4:03 into the third period when his point shot was deflected by Jets forward Rasmus Kupari and past the blocker side of Hellebuyck.
“Our focus in here is winning a hockey game,” Pulock said. “Obviously, this is our last game before the deadline, so you know that. But in here, it’s about today. It’s about trying to win this game, and you know the rest is going to take care of itself. It’s all we could really control.”
Nikolaj Ehlers made it a one-goal game once more on the power-play following a JG Pageau slash with a power move in front of Sorokin with 7:09 to go in regulation.
