Fueled by Josh Bailey’s three points and John Tavares’ two goals, the New York Islanders (7-4-1, 15 pts.) picked up their sixth win in their last eight games with a 6-3 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights (8-2-0, 16 pts.) in the teams’ first-ever matchup.
New York stopped Vegas’ five-game win streak, which was tied for the longest such stretch by an expansion team in NHL history with the 1926-27 Rangers and 1979-80 Washington Capitals.
“It’s a damn good hockey team,” Islanders head coach Doug Weight said. “They did some great things [in building the team] and credit to everyone involved in what they’ve achieved so far.”
With a trio of assists, Bailey extended his point streak to seven games, the longest active streak in the NHL as he continues to feed off his reunion on the first line with Tavares.
“Sometimes you just mesh well together with guys,” Bailey said. “Obviously, when you have Johnny down the middle, he’s a huge threat at all times.”
Bailey now has 14 points in his first 12 games this season (3 G, 11 A) and Weight has been appreciative of his efforts.
“He’s been consistently all through the rink, making plays,” Weight said. “I think his stats have shown it.”
Those assists on Monday night came at times when the Islanders needed his playmaking abilities the most.
Down 2-1 after a lackadaisical first period that saw New York allow its sixth shorthanded goal of the season compared to just five power-play goals, Bailey set up Nick Leddy’s man-advantage shot that was deflected in by John Tavares.
Tavares continued his hot streak as well, continuing to succeed off being named the NHL’s first star of the week.
And he made it known that Bailey has helped spark that success.
“Josh is a heck of a player,” Tavares said. “He doesn’t get enough credit not only with his offensive ability, which is flourishing but his all-around game… To win games and be a successful team, you need guys like Josh…It’s been a lot of fun to play with him.”
With his 10th goal of the season, he became the first Islander since Mark Parrish in 2001 to record 10 goals before the end of October.
The sequence drove Golden Knights starting goalie Oscar Dansk out of the game because of an injury, prompting Maxime Legace to be the fourth-different Vegas goalie used by the team in their first 10 games.
Less than three minutes after his first assist, Bailey got another when he sparked the previously-stagnant power play once again.
Bailey managed to get the puck to big Anders Lee in front, who spun an effort toward Legace’s goal that came right to Mathew Barzal. The young forward slotted home the chance to give the Islanders their first lead of the night to hold going into the third period.
“We were able to tilt it a little,” Bailey said. “We got the power play going there and it seemed to change the momentum which is what you need from your power play and what we’ve been lacking at times.”
The momentum snagged by New York carried into the third as they tallied another three goals within the frame’s first 13 minutes to put things to bed.
Cal Clutterbuck sniped a wrister over the shoulder of Legace to build a two-goal lead and was quickly followed by Nikolay Kulemin’s breakaway goal in which he slotted a backhander under the Vegas goalie’s pads.
With 7:33 left, Tavares nabbed his second on a breakaway, this time beating Legace with a forehand deke for his eighth goal in the last four games.
“Sometimes, the chances you get, they start going in,” Tavares said. “It breeds some confidence and it just changes the narrative a little bit.”
Sure enough, Bailey was in on the action again, accruing his third assist of the night.
“We wanted to come out with a good effort and I feel for the most part we did that,” Bailey said. “Ultimately, we got the result we wanted.”
