The Islanders have been in a slump recently. However, the power play contributed to two of the three goals in last week’s series against the Washington Capitals. In the closest vote so far, you chose the power-play goal J-G Pageau scored in the second of the three games. Thank you for voting and look out for another poll soon.

Much like his first goal as an Islander, Pageau found a rebound off of the end boards and beat Ilya Samsonov before he could find the puck. It goes to show what happens when the Islanders shoot the puck on the man advantage. Let’s break it down.

The Islanders began the play working the puck around in their umbrella setup which features Noah Dobson in the middle of the blue line, Mat Barzal and Jordan Eberle on the side, Anthony Beauvillier in the slot and Pageau in the front of the net. Dobson played catch with Barzal and Eberle, trying to pull the penalty killers out of position.

Barzal eventually used his skating ability to draw Carl Hagelin away from Dobson. A quick pass from Barzal to Dobson created an open lane to the net. The young defenseman shot the puck around Hagelin with Pageau screening Samsonov. The shot missed wide but the lively Coliseum boards created a second chance.

The puck bounced off the boards, up to Pageau’s waist. Samsonov, down on his knees, swiped at it with his blocker. When he missed, that opened up a spot under his arm that Pageau knocked the puck through. Samsonov’s attempt to keep the puck from going back in front ended up costing him a goal. Pageau, meanwhile, managed to keep his body in front of Zdeno Chara who quickly moved to the net after the shot trying to prevent a rebound chance. The goal itself was an impressive display of hand-eye coordination by Pageau.

The Islanders revived their five-on-five scoring with two even-strength goals against the Rangers on Thursday. Scoring goals will be key in the push for the playoffs, and the Isles have a chance to clinch a berth on Saturday.

John Smark