Thanks to an unusual schedule, the Islanders have taken many prolonged breaks. That has made a few games this season feel like encores of opening nights, including Thursday’s Brock Nelson-led victory over the Coyotes.

The Islanders looked organized and energetic in the first period. They kept possession of the puck, took plenty of shots and created endless opportunities. Derick Brassard started the scoring but the Coyotes came to tie the game mid-period. Josh Bailey kept it going, and Anders Lee scored in the middle of the third period to give the Islanders a two-goal lead.
The Coyotes attempted to come back but the Islanders continued to limit their opportunities. Scott Mayfield sealed the win with an empty-net goal late in the third. That game set the momentum for the rest of the weekend, where the team defeated the Senators and Flyers as well.

In this game, Nelson, Bailey, Lee, Brassard and Adam Pelech stood out just like they had all season.

Brock Nelson

Nelson has been on fire since the beginning of the season. He was a big part of the Islanders possession numbers on Thursday. The team kept the puck in the offensive zone for the majority of the game and Nelson helped prevent the loss of possession. He also assisted two of the goals. In just the first month of the season, Brock Nelson has ten points and two game-winning goals. 

Anders Lee

Anders Lee had multiple chances to score Thursday night. He fired off plenty of shots and easily could have made the game a high scoring contest. The Arizona Coyotes goalie, Darcy Kuemper, made some outstanding saves. Lee has put up six points on 17 shots since the beginning of the season.

Josh Bailey

Bailey was seen on every end of the ice on Thursday, just like he had all season. He skated fast, recovered the puck, made successful passes and created multiple offensive rush opportunities. Even though he only accumulated one point on Thursday, he was easily one of the players to look out for on the ice. 

Adam Pelech

Pelech is easily one of the most underrated Islanders defenseman. Pelech showed up a lot especially when the puck came close to getting past Semyon Varlamov. He was able to successfully clear the puck and stop the Coyotes from taking the lead. He was definitely the top defenseman on the ice against Arizona and against every other team he faces.

Derick Brassard

Ex-Rangers player Derick Brassard finally recorded his first goal as an Islander on Thursday and now has goals in three straight games. He scored early in the first period and was assisted by Ryan Pulock and Brock Nelson. He continued to be aggressive with having possession in the offensive zone. 

These players had fantastic games on Thursday night and seasons overall. This may have just been a normal Thursday night game against the Coyotes, but it gave the Islanders the momentum needed to win seven straight games.

John Smark