– by Adesina O. Koiki
A Lot of Sports Talk editor-in-chief
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DALLAS — If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, at least that’s what the aphorism states. It surely applies in sports, and the New York Islanders went with the same exact combination that brought them a win against tonight’s opponent back in January to their rematch.
Bo Horvat scored 2:54 into overtime as the Islanders defeated the Stars 3-2 inside American Airlines Center on Monday evening. Defenseman Ryan Pulock scored the first goal of the game and added an assist for New York, who snapped a two-game losing streak.
New York twice had a one-goal lead before the Stars pegged them back each time, but New York made the final lead stand as Mathew Barzal circled around the offensive zone before finding a streaking Horvat for a one-timer that beat Stars goalkeeper Scott Wedgewood.
It’s the second overtime win against the Stars for the Islanders this season, with Horvat scoring from a pass by Barzal jsut 41 seconds into the extra session in the 3-2 victory against Dallas on January 21 at UBS Arena. That win was the first under new head coach and NHL legend Patrick Roy, who had taken over one day prior after the firing of Lane Lambert.
“The guys had a very good vibe, so it’s fun to see them rewarded,” Roy said. “We played against a very good hockey team. They are first in their division, and they are a fast team. Our guys did really well. We moved that puck north, we forechecked well and we had some good chances. It’s a road game and this is not an easy building to play in. I was very happy, every line brought something.”
*Editor’s note: Above the byline is the photo gallery from Monday evening’s contest, with photos taken by Dallas-area photographer Ross James. After clicking on the first photo to enlarge the picture, make sure to press the left and right arrow buttons to scroll through the rest of the pictures. There are 20 pictures in total.
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