Brock Nelson fires New York Islanders into postseason, Pittsburgh Penguins eliminated

After missing last season’s Stanley Cup Playoffs, the New York Islanders will return to the postseason thanks to their 4-2 home victory against the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday night.

Brock Nelson drove the Isles’ offense as he has done so often this season, firing home twice to make the difference in the contest. Nelson leads the club in goals (36), assists (39), and points (75); he is their only 60-point man this season.

The Islanders’ victory dooms the Penguins, whose playoff streak ends at 17 seasons. Pittsburgh disastrously lost 5-2 at home against the Blackhawks on Tuesday to clinch a wild-card spot for the Florida Panthers and open the door for New York to lock up playoff hockey.

The 2022-2023 playoffs will be the first that the Penguins have missed since captain Sidney Crosby’s rookie season.

Islanders fans will be eager to see their team in the playoffs again after its previous two postseason efforts saw them take the eventual Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning to the brink in consecutive Conference Finals.

Though the Isles earned their postseason berth, it was not always easy.

Mat Barzal has been out of action since February 18 and is no guarantee to appear in the postseason, while trade acquisition Bo Horvat has struggled to capture the form that made him a force in Vancouver.

Those factors contributed to the Islanders attack being 11th worst in goals-per-game and 2nd worst on the powerplay in the NHL before Wednesday night.

Still, Nelson’s banner year and contributions from veterans Anders Lee (28 goals) and Kyle Palmieri (33 points in 55 games) provided enough offense to get the job done in front of New York’s vaunted defense.

Ilya Sorokin added another excellent season in his quest to prove himself the best goaltender in the city, do-it-all top pair Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock again logged over 20 minutes per game, and 23-year-old Noah Dobson chipped in with an impressive 49 points from the blue line.

The Islanders defensive strengths amounted to the league’s 3rd staunchest unit in GAA and 11th best penalty kill in their first season under former Barry Trotz assistant Lane Lambert.

Isles fans will watch intently when the Panthers host Carolina tomorrow, which will determine whether they meet the Hurricanes or the seemingly invincible Bruins in the first round.