The Red Wings douse the Islanders

Lyon stops all 30 and Detroit burns on

A debt from last year

A year ago, the New York Islanders ended the Detroit Red Wings' Gauntlet on qualification night. Their virtual meeting finished 4 goals to 4, and the Islanders went through on the goal-by-goal tiebreak. This October the two candles stood side by side again, and this time they played each other at UBS Arena in Elmont. One game, no second chance: the loser would go dark before the tournament had properly started. Detroit had finished 18th of 32 last season. New York had finished 15th.

One shot was enough

Patrick Kane struck at 8:54 of the first period with a snap shot, set up by Vladimir Tarasenko and J.T. Compher. The Red Wings put only 11 shots on Ilya Sorokin all night, and that was the only one that beat him.

From there the night belonged to Alex Lyon. The Islanders fired 30 shots at him and he turned away all 30. Mike Reilly went off for hooking at 1:17 of the second, and Detroit got nothing more from it. Then the Wings took their own turns in the box: Ben Chiarot for hooking, Moritz Seider for tripping, and Erik Gustafsson for interference at 14:31 of the third. Lyon held through every one.

Settled by a single goal

The Islanders reached the round of 16 last time. This year their flame was snuffed on the first night. The Red Wings burn on as one of 24 flames still lit, and they paid back last year's tiebreak with one goal.