It was a tight game, but the New York Islanders kept their hot streak going with a 5-4 shootout win against the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday. That pushes them to sixth place in the East - at least for now - and extends their point streak to 10 games (8-0-2).
Several Islanders enjoyed two-point performances (including Lubomir Visnovsky’s two assists and a one-goal, one-assist output by Frans Nielsen) while John Tavares ended up notching the shootout winner to make an impact in a rare instance where he didn’t get on the scoresheet in regulation.
In case you weren’t aware, this contest had significant playoff implications, with the only bummer for Islanders fans being that the victory made life a little easier for the New York Rangers:
6. NY Islanders - 53 points with three games remaining
7. Ottawa - 52 points with five games remaining
8. NY Rangers - 50 points with four games remaining
9. Winnipeg - 49 points with three games remaining
Still, it’s probably safe to say that the red-hot Isles will take it. They’re also that much closer to clinching a postseason berth.
No doubt about it, the Jets could have used this extra point. According to Sports Club Stats, they’ll probably need to rack up five of their remaining six points to have better than a 50-50 chance to get to the playoffs themselves.