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 The goals right winger Michael Frolik described as "greasy" won't
make any highlight reels, but that's just fine with the Jets
(4-5-0), who are winners of back-to-back games and three of their
last four games.
"We'll get the pretty goals, eventually that stuff will come," Jets
coach Paul Maurice said. "But we have to live on those other kind of
goals for now."
The Jets crashed the net and poked pucks past Islanders goalie
Jaroslav Halak, overcoming a bad first period with an explosive
second.
"It was not very nice goals, but that's how it is in this league,"
Frolik said. "You want to go into the net and score lucky goals.
That's what happened tonight."
The catalyst for the Jets, who fell behind 1-0 on a power-play goal
by Islanders center Brock Nelson in the first period, was a boarding
major and game misconduct assessed to York Islanders left winger
Nikolay Kulemin 24 seconds into the second period.
Kulemin hit defenseman Mark Stuart, who crashed into the boards
while attempting to dump the puck into the offensive zone by center
ice. Stuart was shaken up, but returned later in the second.
"It kind of got us fired up. It was a dangerous play," Jets center
Bryan Little said. "You see Stewie get up and battle it out and he's
out a couple shifts later. That's the type of guy he is and player
he is. That got us going. It was kind of like a wake-up call for
us."
The Jets entered the game 28th in the NHL on the power play, but
scored twice on the same man advantage. Left winger Andrew Ladd tied
the score for the Jets at 1:14 and defenseman Paul Postma followed
with his first goal of the season on the same power play to put
Winnipeg in front 2-1 at 4:06 of the second.
"Our power play came through at the right time," said Little, who
had three assists in the game. "It's been a struggle all year. We've
been really fighting hard to get goals and we've been getting
chances, but tonight it was a good night for the power play to come
through especially at that point in the game."
It was Postma's first goal of the season and sixth of his career.
Three have come against the Islanders.
"I don't know what it is about this rink," Postma said. "I guess I
like playing here, something about playing on the road, not a lot of
pressure and I can just go out there and play."
Defenseman Jacob Trouba gave the Jets a 3-1 lead at 11:42 of the
second, beating Halak with a wrist shot from the top of the circle
for his first goal of the year.
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The Islanders (6-3-0) scored two goals in a span of 1:24 to tie the
score at 3. Center John Tavares cut the Islanders deficit to 3-2
with his fourth goal of the year, stuffing in the rebound of a saved
Nelson shot on the power play at 14:28 of the second. Boychuk also
picked up an assist, his second of the game.
Center Mikhail Grabovski followed with his third goal of the season
on a great individual effort.
However, Ladd added his second of the game, capitalizing on a
turnover in the Islanders zone at 3:31 of the third period, beating
Islanders right winger Kyle Okposo to a rebound of a saved shot by
Little to give the Jets a 4-3 lead.
"I didn't get the puck to the blue line," Okposo said. "I lost my
guy. It can't happen."
While the Jets leave Long Island pleased with the start of their
road trip, the Islanders embark on a five-game Western swing
realizing improvements need to be made.
"When you don't manage the puck you're not going to have success,"
Islanders coach Jack Capuano said. "We didn't deserve to win. It's
going to be a long road trip if we don't figure it out quick."
NOTES: The Islanders scratched D Travis Hamonic (upper body), LW
Josh Bailey (hand), LW Eric Boulton and D Matt Donovan. Hamonic, who
participated in the morning skate, missed his third consecutive game
and Bailey sat out his second straight. Both will travel on the
Islanders' five-game road trip. ... The Jets scratched D Zach
Bogosian, who suffered an upper-body injury Sunday against the
Avalanche, RW Anthony Peluso and C Patrice Cormier. ... Jets LW
Evander Kane, who is on injured reserve after a collision with C
Mark Scheifele on Oct. 9, made the trip, but he isn't expected to
play. ... The Islanders head west for a five-game road trip starting
Thursday against the Colorado Avalanche. ... The Jets remain in the
New York-area and will next face the New Jersey Devils on Thursday
in the second game of a four-game eastern swing.
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