Anders Lee celebrated his 800th career NHL game with a goal, while Ilya Sorokin stopped 30 shots to lead the New York Islanders to a commanding 4-0 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday night.
This marked the Islanders’ second shutout of the season, with the first also occurring on Nov. 30 — the same day the Golden Knights were last held scoreless. For Sorokin, it was his second shutout of the season and the 20th of his career.
Lee became the 10th player in Islanders history to reach 800 games and the first to score while hitting the milestone.
Brock Nelson contributed a goal and an assist, while Bo Horvat and Casey Cizikas also found the back of the net. Alexander Romanov added two assists for New York, which secured back-to-back wins for the first time since early December.
Adin Hill made 17 saves for Vegas, which saw its three-game winning streak snapped. The Golden Knights had won nine of their last 10 and 13 of their last 15 games entering the matchup.
Takeaways
Islanders: New York capitalized on Vega’s turnovers to score its first two goals, displaying a sharp, opportunistic edge.
Golden Knights: Vegas’ usually reliable defense faltered, allowing the Islanders to score three goals from the high-danger slot area.
Key Moment
The Golden Knights thought they had taken the lead when Tomas Hertl scored with 6:10 left in the first period. However, the Islanders successfully challenged for offside, and Lee scored just over three minutes later to give New York a lead it never relinquished.
Key Stat
The Islanders managed only six shots on goal in each of the first two periods but still scored three times, underscoring their efficiency.
Up Next
The Islanders travel to Utah to face the Grizzlies on Saturday, while the Golden Knights host the New York Rangers the same night.
