Simon Holmstrom’s backhander 1:34 into overtime completed the Islanders’ three-comeback masterpiece in St. Paul, vaulted them to 3-0-1 in their last four, and flashed exactly the finishing skill New York has been begging for since Anders Lee’s injury.
The 22-year-old Swede arrived on Long Island in 2022 billed as a “responsible two-way winger.” On Saturday he became the Islanders’ sudden-death closer, ripping his first career two-goal game to sink the Wild 4-3 and keep the East’s final wildcard within one point.
How New York kept clawing back
- First period: Minnesota’s Ben Jones netted his first NHL goal 4:12 in; Jean-Gabriel Pageau answered 3:05 later on a rebound.
- Second period: Kirill Kaprizov’s one-timer restored the lead; Holmstrom’s first of the night knotted it again.
- Late second: Matt Boldy’s power-play snipe looked like the dagger until Casey Cizikas finished a 2-on-1 shorthanded rush with Holmstrom 17:44 in.
- Overtime: Holmstrom circled off the wall, sold shot, slid into the slot and roofed a backhand over Filip Gustavsson’s glove.
Sorokin’s third-period wall sets the table
Ilya Sorokin stopped all 17 Wild attempts in the final frame, including a sprawling denial of Marco Rossi’s one-timer with 2:17 left. The shutout period pushed his season save percentage to .917 and gave the Islanders their league-leading 11th comeback win when trailing after 40 minutes.
Wildcard ripple effect
The victory vaults New York to 48 points, one back of Detroit for the second wildcard and two behind the Capitals for the first. With games in hand on both, the Islanders now control their own January destiny. Minnesota, meanwhile, drops to 51 points and 2-3-2 in its last seven, leaving the Central’s last playoff spot suddenly vulnerable to St. Louis.
Quinn Hughes’ historic helpers wasted
The defenseman factored on every Minnesota goal, becoming the first blueliner in franchise history to record three primary assists in a single game he ultimately lost. His nine-game point streak (2-12-14) is the longest by a Wild defenseman since Ryan Suter’s 11 in 2017.
What’s next
New York heads to Winnipeg on Tuesday for the second leg of a three-game road swing that could decide whether they buy or sell at the March deadline. Minnesota, idle until Monday’s visit from New Jersey, must solve sudden defensive leaks that have seen them surrender 18 goals in the last four outings.
For lightning-fast breakdowns of every NHL thriller, stick with onlytrustedinfo.com—where the final horn is just the start of the real story.
