The New York Islanders resumed their effort to convince us they still have a chance in 2021-22 with a shocking shutout of the Ducks in Anaheim Sunday.
Perhaps it was not exactly “shocking,” in that the NHL is a “Any Given Sunday” league in an “Any Given Hasek” sport. But the Islanders were playing back-to-back against true wild card race opponents, and this season has featured lots of disappointment in those situations.
Instead, coming off a really disappointing performance and now without Mathew Barzal, the Islanders racked up goals — and Ross Johnston with two assists, naturally — and Ilya Sorokin shut the door for his fifth shutout of the season.