Opening Night for Island Metro Hockey is a Busy Night!

What a night to launch Island Metro Hockey. With every team in the NHL in action, it was the perfect storm for a first night of coverage focused on the three New York-area teams — the Islanders, Rangers, and Devils. With staggered start times across the league, it was possible to keep tabs on all three clubs, though my main focus was on the Islanders’ road matchup in Boston. Still, here are my takeaways from an eventful night of hockey across the Metro region.

Islanders Falter After Fast Start

The Islanders came out strong in Boston, controlling the first period and jumping out to a 2-0 lead. Bo Horvat continued his hot streak, and Kyle Palmieri added a power-play goal off a slick Matt Barzal feed. But after that, the tide turned. The Bruins dictated play for the final 40 minutes, scoring five unanswered goals and handing the Islanders a 5-2 loss. It was a tough lesson in consistency — twenty good minutes just weren’t enough.

Devils Can’t Keep Pace in a Wild One

Over in Colorado, the Devils found themselves buried early. The Avalanche stormed out to a 5-0 lead before New Jersey mounted an impressive rally to make it 5-4. Unfortunately, the comeback ran out of steam, and Colorado’s offensive firepower proved too much to handle in an 8-4 final. It was an entertaining, if chaotic, game — a reminder that the Devils’ offense can strike quickly, but their defense will need to tighten up if they want to compete with elite teams.

Rangers Lock It Down in Vancouver

The Rangers’ game in Vancouver had a little bit of everything. The first two periods were wide open, with chances at both ends, but the Rangers found a way to settle things down in the third. Mika Zibanejad’s first-period goal held up as the game-winner, while Jonathan Quick was brilliant between the pipes. The veteran netminder stopped all 22 shots he faced to earn the shutout, guiding the Blueshirts to a hard-fought 2-0 victory on the road.