Bo Horvat’s power-play goal helped No. 16 New York edge No. 2 Minnesota, 4-3.
The New York Islanders took a 4-3 road win over the Minnesota Wild, knocking off the Power Index’s No. 2 team from their No. 16 position. Bo Horvat’s power-play goal was the clearest special-teams edge: New York scored once on the power play, while Minnesota had no power-play goals. Matthew Schaefer also scored and added an assist, Adam Pelech scored, and Emil Heineman recorded an assist for the Islanders. Minnesota’s three goals came from Quinn Hughes, Matt Boldy and Joel Eriksson Ek; Hughes, Kirill Kaprizov, Ryan Hartman and Jonas Brodin each added an assist. New York recorded 30 hits to Minnesota’s 31, but had 16 giveaways compared with the Wild’s 22. Ilya Sorokin stopped 22 of 25 shots (88.0%), while Jesper Wallstedt made 21 saves on 24 shots (87.5%); each was charged with three goals against in the goalie matchup data. The result snaps Minnesota’s three-game winning streak and gives the Islanders a second straight win.
Key Performers
Matthew Schaefer, NYI: 1 G, 1 A, 2 P, 5 SOG, -1, 1 hit. Bo Horvat, NYI: 1 G, 1 P, 3 SOG, -1, 1 PPG, 2 hits. Quinn Hughes, MIN: 1 G, 1 A, 2 P, 4 SOG, +1, 1 hit.
Standings Impact
New York improves to 7-4-2 with 16 points; Minnesota moves to 9-4-2 and remains at 20 points. The Wild’s W3 streak is over.
DYMA Insight
The Islanders entered ranked 16th in the Power Index against Minnesota at No. 2, yet the giveaway gap favored New York: 16 to the Wild’s 22. The teams were nearly even in hits, 30-31, while Horvat’s power-play goal gave the Islanders the special-teams edge.