NEW YORK _ Doug Weight has said often he loves the energy and enthusiasm his young players bring. Sometimes that enthusiasm can bubble over and one of his young 20-somethings makes a mistake. Sometimes it turns into a dazzling goal.
The Islanders got the full gamut from their kids in Thursday night's 4-3 shootout win over the Rangers at Madison Square Garden. Ryan Pulock, 23, got into his first game as essentially a power-play specialist and helped deliver the Isles' first power-play goal in 21 tries just 2:40 into the game.
Mathew Barzal, 20, used his speed and deception to snap his first NHL goal by Henrik Lundqvist 75 seconds into the second, a crucial score to put the Isles up by two. Barzal had two wide-open chances later in the second that Lundqvist denied.
Josh Ho-Sang, who came in leading the Isles with four assists, had a couple moments that likely left Weight shaking his head. Ho-Sang's exuberance is second to none, as is his love of setting up teammates. In the second, he had a lane to the net and room to shoot on Lundqvist, but looked back for a pass and the resulting turnover sent the Rangers down two on one, with Jaroslav Halak bailing his teammates out.
Ho-Sang played just one shift in the third as the Islanders slowly unraveled.
The other member of the under-23 crowd, Anthony Beauvillier, was a healthy scratch for a third straight game. Weight said before Thursday's game that Beauvillier, who had a goal in the four games he's played, did nothing really wrong to be sat down.
"We said when camp began we wanted Beau, Barzy and Josh to come in and earn spots, and they did that," Weight said. "Now it's a good problem to have, but these are tough, tough decisions. Beau and I talked yesterday. ... He had one rough game (in Anaheim) but I feel like it's more on me. I need to find a better defined role for him."
Pulock's role was certainly well defined heading into Thursday: Get out there on the power play and shoot the darn thing. With that early advantage, Pulock was set up in the faceoff circle to Lundqvist's right _ the same spot Alex Ovechkin likes to camp in.
The first 65 or so seconds weren't crisp, but Pulock was there to get a shot off when John Tavares sent a pass through the slot with three Rangers glued to the opposite wall. Lundqvist came out to challenge and stop Pulock's try but Anders Lee buried the rebound and the Isles were off the power-play goose egg.
Barzal gave the Rangers defense fits all night. He finally broke through for his first NHL point in Los Angeles on Sunday, an assist on Josh Bailey's second-period goal. His speed move down the left wing in the second caught the Rangers off guard and that revved him up for the rest of the evening.
