Islanders defenseman Adam Pelech and Wild right wing Mats Zuccarelllo battle for the puck in the first period on Sunday in St. Paul, Minn. Credit: AP/Andy Clayton-King
ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Islanders, struggling through some uncharacteristically loose defensive play, want to get back to basics.
They took a step in the right direction by rallying Sunday for a 3-1 win over the Wild at Xcel Energy Center to snap a three-game losing streak in the middle game of a three-game road trip.
The Islanders had allowed 24 goals in a 1-3-1 skid.
The Islanders (24-10-3) regained second place in the Metropolitan Division heading into Tuesday afternoon’s game against the first-place Capitals after the Penguins’ 6-4 win over the visiting Predators on Saturday temporarily knocked them to third.