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Sorokin, Palmieri Lift Islanders to High Value Win

Sorokin, Palmieri Lift Islanders to High Value Win

Brady wins Tkachuk battle keeps Sens' playoff hopes alive, Matt Boldy with another hat trick, and more.

March 28, 2023

Good morning and happy Tuesday, March 28.

Our readers are pretty high on Connor McDavid — which is hard to argue against these days — as just under 65% of yesterday's poll participants believe McDavid will score 70 goals this season. Although he was held without a goal last night, he tends to score in bunches.

Have a great day Hockey Recap fam! 👊

Sorokin, Palmieri Lift Islanders to High Value Win

All wins are worth two points in the NHL, yet some are more valuable than others.

The New York Islanders earned a victory that seemed to be worth more Monday when they downed the New Jersey Devils 5-1. The Islanders are a team that often struggles to score and the Devils rank seventh in the NHL in goals-against average. But the Islanders found a way to earn the two points that give them a three-point lead in the race for the first wild-card berth in the Eastern Conference.

The Islanders have 85 points, and the Pittsburgh Penguins hold the second wild card spot with 82 points. The Florida Panthers are now six points behind the Islanders and three back of the Penguins.

According to puckmoney.com, the Islanders have an 88.6% probability of making the playoffs and the Penguins are at 83.4%. Florida’s is at 23.1%.

The Islanders are averaging 2.99 goals per game. The Minnesota Wild (2.93) are the only team currently in a playoff spot that has a lower scoring rate than the Islanders.

But New York is surviving on timely scoring and Ilya Sorokin’s stellar goaltending. In the past 18 games, the Islanders have outscored opponents 30-9 in the third period.

Meanwhile, Sorokin is 10-2-2 in his last 14 appearances. He boasts a .924 save percentage in that span. He made 30 saves against the Devils.

The Islanders have hung onto their wild-card spot without injured Mathew Barzal and with a slumping Bo Horvat. The Islanders acquired Horvat to improve their offense, but Horvat’s empty-net goal against New Jersey was his first goal in 12 games.

🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders)
12:57 AM • Mar 28, 2023

Kyle Palmieri is heating up at the right time. He registered two goals and an assist and has five goals in his past six games. Zach Parise also scored an empty netter to give him five goals in six games.

CAN'T MISS

🔴⚫️ Brady wins Tkachuk battle, Senators defeat Panthers 5-2. The 6'4" Sens' captain one-timed a Thomas Chabot feed midway through the 1st for his 34th of the season to open the scoring and Ottawa never looked back. Brady Tkachuk added an assist on Alex DeBrincat's game winner late in the 2nd, while Derick Brassard, Tim Stutzle, and Shane Pinto all contributed goals to the Senators' efforts. Mads Sogaard made 32 saves earning a .941 save percentage as the Sens' win keeps their playoff hope alives, sitting just 5 points back from the final Eastern Conference wild card spot. Thanks to Florida's loss, the Toronto Maple Leafs clinched their 7th consecutive playoff berth.

🎩 Matt Boldy's 2nd hat trick in five games powers Wild over Kraken, 5-1. The 21-year-old Massachusetts-native put on a show, scoring three absolutely gorgeous goals — seriously, do yourself a favor and watch below. The hat trick gives Boldy nine goals in his past five games. Jake Middleton and Ryan Hartman also scored for the Wild as Marc-Andre Fleury collected 35 saves and a .972 save percentage, improving his record to 8-0-1 in his last nine starts. And surprisingly, the Minnesota Wild are 6-1-2 since Kirill Kaprizov went down with an injury on March 8th. The win maintains the Wild's one point lead over the Colorado Avalanche and three point lead over the Dallas Stars in the tight Central Division.