SAN JOSE, Calif. — It wasn’t pretty.
The Islanders didn’t find their game until the third period.
But really, who cares about that?
The Islanders got out of California with two points in hand, and that is what matters most after Saturday night’s 2-1 overtime victory against the Sharks.
With the Blue Jackets, whose chances of catching the Islanders looked all but done after they fell seven points back just over a week ago, picking up points seemingly every night, there is suddenly a three-team race for two playoff spots to worry about, and Bo Horvat’s winner in the extra period jolted the Islanders to the top of it, ahead of the Penguins and into second in the Metropolitan Division.
So, forget pretty, especially on the road and especially against a Sharks team that had the Islanders on their heels for a lot of this game.
Forget that it wasn’t a great second period; what matters is that the Islanders got to the third with the game tied at one, and went from there.
That was when, finally, things started humming.
That was when the Islanders started possessing the puck, establishing their game down low and creating sustained pressure.
That was when the top line of Emil Heineman, Horvat and Mathew Barzal started making a positive impact on every shift.
Handed a terrific opportunity in the form of a Kiefer Sherwood roughing penalty at 16:15 of the period, though, the Islanders frittered away their chance on the power play, then promptly handed San Jose a five-on-four chance when Adam Pelech went for holding.
Ilya Sorokin, though, bailed the Islanders out with a stop on Will Smith off the rush to help send it to overtime.
And at 4:21 of the extra period, Matthew Schaefer fed Horvat on the rush to end it.
Brayden Schenn’s debut had its moments, good and bad.
His screen in front helped DeAngelo’s shot to beat Yaroslav Askarov 11:37 into the night, and his hit on Mario Ferraro along the left-hand wall was the hardest of the night for either team.
Cal Ritchie appeared reasonably comfortable on the wing, especially early in the night.
Schenn’s line with Ritchie and Ondrej Palat came out of the night with poor numbers, though, a factor in large part of being matched with Macklin Celebrini’s line, which scored against them just 33 seconds into the second period on Celebrini’s snap shot from the slot.
Anthony Duclair, who returned to the lineup in place of a healthy-scratched Kyle MacLean, had a solid night on the fourth line, which was solid all night.
DeAngelo had one of his better games too.
The trio of stars who didn’t look quite right in Anaheim or Los Angeles — Schaefer, Barzal and Horvat — were much better in this one, though it did take them a while to get going.
Once they did, it served as a reminder of why they are so crucial.
As a whole, the Islanders ceded possession of the puck too often and ceded the neutral zone too easily for 40 minutes.
They were 0-for-3 on the power play.
They rarely established a cycle game and, aside from DeAngelo’s opener, there wasn’t enough traffic in front.
All familiar issues by this point of the season.
The Islanders overcame them on Saturday, but it’s becoming a heavier lift to do so.
