Jean-Francois Berube made 40 saves to earn his first NHL win as the New York Islanders defeated the Minnesota Wild 5-3 on Tuesday night at Barclays Center. John Tavares (1G, 1A) and Mikhail Grabovski (1G, 1A) each recorded multi-point games in the Islanders first game back after the All- Star Break.
Three Stars
1st Star: John Tavares (1G, 1A)
2nd Star: Mikhail Grabovski (1G, 1A)
3rd Star: JF Berube (40 saves, First NHL win)
Team Notes:
• All four of New York’s Minnesota natives (Leddy, Lee, Nelson, Okposo) registered points against their home-state team.
• New York improves to 13-4-2 against the Western Conference this season.
• 11 Islanders registered points in the game.
• New York improved 9-0-0 when scoring five or more goals.
Player Notes:
• JF Berube recorded 40 saves in the in his first career NHL win.
• Brock Nelson (1G) tallied his team-high 20th goal of the season, tying his career-high (2014-15).
• John Tavares (1G, 1A) recorded his ninth multi-point game of the season; the Islanders improved to 9-0-0 when Tavares has multiple points in a game.
• Mikhail Grabovski (1G, 1A) opened the scoring for the Islanders with his eighth goal of the season.
• Grabovski’s goal extends his point streak to three games, tying a season-long.
Quotes:
Jack Capuano:
On Berube: “Just look at his save percentage over the last five games, the four in Bridgeport and the one here. He deserved the start, he’s part of our team. We’ve got three goalies that’s not going to change. I thought he gave us a chance to win. He played great.”
On Nelson: “Anybody that works at this game, you want to see them have success. He comes to the rink everyday, he wants to get bette. That’s what you ask of your guys. The harder you work the luckier you get.
JF Berube:
On his first NHL win: It’s always hard to get the first one and I finally have it. Now, I can look forward.”
On facing 20 shots in the first: “It put me in the game really quick. I felt really comfortable out there. It was a good game overall.”
John Tavares:
On Berube: He was great all night. It was great to see him get his first one. He had the injury and worked really hard to get back. He’s been a great guy and a really underrated addition for us with the way he’s worked in practice.”
Travis Hamonic:
On Berube: “He hasn’t played a lot of hockey this year because of his injury. He went down (to the AHL) during the break, and he played really well. You could tell he just road that momentum. He certainly had an opportunity in front of him he took it and ran. He played really good, and he’s a good teammate. It’s certainly easy to be happy for him.”
Mike Yeo (Wild Coach):
On the game: “Every time you lose it’s concerning, and the losses keep piling up. What’s concerning is that we’re finding different ways to lose hockey games. Every game has been something different. There’s a number of plays that happen during the course of a hockey game that add up to the difference. The little winning plays, we’re not making them right now.”
