The Islanders finally delivered the all-around performance they’ve been seeking, resulting in their best game of the season. A full 60-minute effort, anchored by a lockdown defensive display, led the Islanders to close out their homestand with a commanding 7-2 rout of the Red Wings on Thursday night. This marked their fourth straight victory.
Until now, the wins had felt somewhat hollow. While the Islanders were pleased to be accumulating results, their defensive play was far too porous. They ranked last in the league in expected goals allowed, often letting games devolve into high-paced track meets. The team recognized the need to tighten up their own zone to build something sustainable.
The firing of goalie coach Piero Greco on Wednesday served as a loud signal that management was dissatisfied with the team’s defensive struggles. Whether the decision to replace Greco with Sergei Naumovs will help Ilya Sorokin overcome his rocky start remains uncertain.
On Thursday, David Rittich started in goal and turned aside 29 shots, contributing to what was easily the Islanders’ best defensive performance of the season. There were no breakdowns in structure or communication. The Islanders won their battles, cleared out the front of the net, and kept Rittich’s sightlines clear. They forced more turnovers than they gave up. This was anything but a hollow victory.
The Red Wings, coming into the game aiming to bounce back after a poor outing in Buffalo on Wednesday, left Detroit stunned after the heavy defeat.
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### Strong Start Sparks Offensive Explosion
Tony DeAngelo, one of the Islanders struggling most this season, sparked the scoring just 2:55 into the game. He took a pass from Anders Lee at the right wall and buried it, giving the Islanders an early lead. Emil Heineman made it 2-0 with his fourth goal of the year at 14:56 of the first period, finishing off a two-on-one feed from Bo Horvat.
The Islanders dominated the opening 20 minutes, limiting Detroit to just five shots, and their performance only improved from there.
Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored the Islanders’ third goal at 7:25 into the second period, capitalizing on a turnover in the neutral zone and finishing from the slot after a pass from Anders Lee. The rout was on six minutes later when Ryan Pulock sent a shot toward the net that deflected off Kyle Palmieri’s skate and went in. Mathew Barzal made it 5-0 before the period ended, roofing the puck after emerging from a scrum with an unobstructed path to the net.
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### Closing Out the Game Strong
Dylan Larkin broke the shutout in the third period, but the Islanders quickly extended their lead again. Heineman and Simon Holmstrom added two more goals, with Holmstrom scoring on Lee’s third assist of the night.
More importantly than the offensive firepower was the defense. The Islanders gave up virtually nothing. Rittich was only seriously tested once in the third period, when the team was already comfortably ahead by five goals. The backup netminder delivered his second consecutive strong performance.
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### Notable Performances and Team Outlook
Matthew Schaefer went pointless for the first time in his NHL career, falling one game short of matching Alexandre Daigle’s point streak record for an 18-year-old in the expansion era. However, with 12 other Islanders recording at least one point on the night, the team was more than satisfied with the overall effort.
At 4-3-0, the Islanders are now above .500 for the first time this season. They have won more games than they have lost for the first time since November 2, 2023, when their record stood at 5-2-2.
It’s safe to say there is considerably more optimism surrounding the team now than there was just a few months ago.
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**Check out the latest NHL standings and Islanders stats to keep up with the team’s progress.**
https://nypost.com/2025/10/23/sports/islanders-extend-winning-streak-to-four-as-they-demolish-red-wings/