Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
The New York Islanders beat the Dallas Stars on Sunday night, giving them the sweep of the season series. The Islanders stay red-hot, with wins in each of their last three, and seven of their last eight. These two teams met six days ago in New York, when the Islanders embarrassed the Stars, 7-3.
Kevin Poulin continued to play well in the absence of Evgeni Nabokov, with another 29 saves tonight. It’s becoming more and more apparent that Poulin should get the chance to start even when Nabokov returns. The gritty play of Brock Nelson has also been a big boost to this team. The 2010 1st round draft pick has exploded on the scene this year with 13 points in his first NHL season, including an empty-netter on Sunday.
The star of this game was Kyle Okposo. Okposo missed Monday night’s game against the Stars, due to the birth of his child. He returned in the next game against Toronto, and with his two goals tonight, has three since his return.
This Islander team is starting to become a major player. Just a week ago, there were thoughts that the team might try to trade Thomas Vanek, but that shouldn’t even be a thought now. Vanek, who had two assists tonight, could be very important to the team’s success. Even when he is not scoring, he commands so much attention on the ice and opens things up for his teammates.
Despite their rough start to the season, the Islanders now sit only six-points out of the final playoff spot with 34 games left to play.