3 Takeaways: Horvat Debuts as Islanders Win Third Straight Game

The New York Islanders went into the all-star break on a winning note and that's how they came out of it, scoring an 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday night at Wells Fargo Center.
The win was the Islanders third in a row, marking their first three-game winning streak since Dec. 23-29. The Islanders entered the game two points out of the playoffs, so every point will be crucial down the stretch.

"Before these three games, it's like everyone was writing us off and then you win three games in this league and it's such a tight, tight division you're right back in the mix," Mathew Barzal said. "I just like our mindset. We have guys that want play in the playoffs. We were hungry and we were desperate, so I thought we played like that tonight and it paid off for us."
Barzal's second period tally held up as the game-winner - his second-straight game-winner - while Kyle Palmieri scored a power-play goal for the Islanders. Semyon Varlamov made 25 saves to win his second straight start. Nicolas Deslauriers scored the lone goal for the Flyers.
While the Islanders were held to two goals or fewer for an eighth-straight game, Monday marked their third-straight game allowing two or fewer. The Isles have only allowed two goals in the past three games.
Monday was also their first win with newly-acquired center Bo Horvat, who was noticeable in his Islanders debut.
"We know these are important games to play against division teams," Varlamov said. "As a team we were very focused. Everybody felt rested, and everybody was ready to go. I could feel the excitement for the game too. We had a trade, Bo came in and everybody was excited about it."

HORVAT IMPRESSES IN ISLANDERS DEBUT:

All eyes were on Horvat on Monday night, as the 27-year-old made his Islanders debut. Admittedly, there were some nerves - and some adrenaline - for the newly-acquired Islander.
"I'm not going to lie I was really nervous tonight," Horvat said. "The guys made me feel really comfortable and they were great. You know, obviously it feels even better to get that win and get my legs under me."
ISLANDERS 2, FLYERS 1
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As expected, Horvat centered a line with Barzal and Josh Bailey and was featured in the bumper spot on the team's top power play unit with Noah Dobson, Brock Nelson, Anders Lee and Barzal.
"He's a very responsible two-way player and a 200-foot player, you can see it," Head Coach Lane Lambert said of Horvat. "As far as the line is concerned, I thought Barzy was moving. It looked like they had some chemistry together. I thought, Bailey looked good on that line. Smart player and fits in nicely to that thought process."
The center played as advertised, with four shots on goal, six total attempts, two hits, two blocked shots and a 7-for-13 night at the face-off circle in 19:08 of ice time. Horvat had some quality chances and nearly scored his first goal as an Islander, as he tipped a Dobson shot that hit Carter Hart in the shoulder and then the post.
"We could have had three or four," Barzal said. "Some good possession time. Good plays, it's nice just every time Bo had the puck… I had confidence that he was going to make a good play and he did. He won a lot of battles down low and got me the puck so yeah, I really enjoyed it tonight."
Horvat, Barzal and Bailey had some extended shifts in the offensive one, looking creative and energized as a line.
"He's got so much skill and he creates so much out there," Horvat said. "I was just trying to get the pucks to him and get open and you know, he was finding me and found me there a couple times. We had some good looks we just have to bury next time."

PALMIERI POINT STREAK CONTINUES:

Palmieri potted his seventh goal of the season, beating Carter Hart with a far side wrister from below the left dot at the 17:07 mark of the first period.
The goal extended Palmieri's point streak to five games (1G, 5A) since returning from a pair of injuries that kept him out for 27 of the Islanders previous 28 games.
"He's injected life into our hockey team since he's come back," Lambert said. "He just continues to do so. That line looks good with him on it."
While Palmieri finished the play, it was set up by a slick pass from Josh Bailey, who tucked the puck underneath Rasmus Ristolainen's stick. The point was Bailey's first since Jan. 19.
The power-play goal snapped a 10-game drought for the Islanders, which was 0-for-25 over that span. It also capped an energetic first period for the Islanders, who outshot Philadelphia 15-7 in the first period.

DOBSON AND FASCHING RETURN:

Perhaps no Islanders benefitted more from the all-star break than Noah Dobson and Hudson Fasching, who had an extra week to recover from a lower-body injury.
Dobson returned to the lineup after missing four games and made an impact, skating 16:34 with a shot, a pair of hits and the primary assist on the game winner, as he set up Barzal with a backdoor play.
The point was Dobson's 100th of his NHL career. Fasching also made his return to the lineup on Monday after missing six games, skating 9:13 on a line with Matt Martin and Casey Cizikas.

NEXT GAME:

The Islanders host the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday night at UBS Arena. Puck drop is at 7:30 p.m.