‘Greasy’ win moves Isles closer to playoffs

Okposo’s Shootout Goal Gives New York 2-1 Victory Over Carolina

March 30, 2016 By John Torenli, Sports Editor Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Anders Lee is front and center during the post-game celebration at Barclays Center on Tuesday night as the Islanders pulled out a much-needed 2-1 shootout win over the visiting Carolina Hurricanes. AP photo

Share this:

Thomas Greiss got the “monkey” off his back.

Kyle Okposo provided “points in the bank,” despite complaining about some choppy ice at Downtown’s Barclays Center.

And head coach Jack Capuano called the game-tying goal “greasy.”

Add it all up and the playoff-hopeful New York Islanders got exactly what they wanted, and needed, Tuesday night, rallying for a 2-1 shootout victory over the Carolina Hurricanes in front of 13,733 fans on the corners of Atlantic and Flatbush avenues.

Greiss, who had lost his previous four starts between the pipes, made 26 saves, adding three more during a perfect shootout round, to post his first victory since a 3-2 triumph over Florida back on March 14 — six days after starting goaltender Jaroslav Halak went down with a groin injury.

“I got the monkey off my back,” said Greiss, who had lost six of seven starts since Halak got shelved following a 2-1 home win over Pittsburgh March 8.

“I hope we can keep it going now,” he added. “It’s always good to get the win. It’s important points for the whole team and big for me and nice to get a win again.”

Okposo made sure Greiss’ solid effort didn’t go to waste, scoring the lone goal of the shootout on a deft dip, deke and tuck past Carolina netminder Cam Ward, who finished with 30 saves.

But Okposo was noticeably perturbed by the lack of quality ice the two teams skated on during the sloppy contest, and intimated that conditions would have to improve if New York hoped to host playoff games in the arena next month.

“It’s got to be better than that,” Okposo told the New York Post after his clutch tally helped the Islanders maintain a four-point lead over Philadelphia for the first wild card in the Eastern Conference.

With seven regular-season contests remaining in its inaugural campaign in our fair borough, New York (41-25-9, 91 points) stayed three points back of Pittsburgh for the coveted third spot in the Metropolitan Division race, with one game in hand.

The Isles will take on the Penguins Saturday afternoon at Barclays Center in a contest that could help them leap over Pittsburgh down the stretch.

“This was a huge two points and we needed to win,” Okposo added after finding out that the Pens had nipped Buffalo, 5-4, in a shootout Tuesday.

“These are the games that you have to win and give us a little bit of breathing room. Other teams are going to keep winning because they seem to do every night. We just have to keep putting points in the bank every night.”

Neither Greiss nor Okposo would have had reason to celebrate the critical two points if not for Anders Lee’s deflection of John Tavares’ shot with 7:52 remaining in regulation.

The tip-in goal forged a 1-1 tie, and eventually helped New York complete a home-and-home sweep of the Hurricanes, who dropped a 4-3 overtime decision to the Isles in Carolina on Saturday night.

“We knew [the goal] was coming and that it was going to be greasy,” Capuano said. “Against that goaltender you’re going to have to get to the paint and it’s going to have to be one of those goals and it was; a shot and a deflection.”

“We had to dig deep to tie it up and go to extra time,” Tavares added. “Obviously it wasn’t really pretty, but we’re finding ways to win.”

They’ll try to continue doing so Thursday night here against Nashville.

* * *

Unfortunately, the Isles’ co-tenants at Barclays Center keep finding ways to lose.

The moribund Brooklyn Nets suffered the latest in a season full of embarrassing defeats Tuesday night in Orlando, hardly putting up a fight in a 139-105 spanking at the hands of the Magic before 17,536 fans at the Amway Center.

With starting power forward Thaddeus Young getting a rest, backup Thomas Robinson led Brooklyn with 18 points and 12 rebounds. But the Nets looked disinterested in defending as the Magic scored at least 30 points in each quarter of play.

“I think the mindset of the whole team, myself included, I think guys are worried that there’s not much time left, we’re not fighting for anything,” Robinson intimated after Brooklyn dropped its second straight following a modest two-game winning streak.

Brook Lopez managed only five points in limited minutes and rookie Rondae-Hollis Jefferson did not play at all as the Nets, who dropped a 110-99 decision in Miami on Monday, appeared to be taking a night off, allowing the Magic to shoot a blistering 62 percent from the floor.

“No knock on our team,” Robinson said. “But mentally it’s tough to keep fighting in games and showing up every night the way things are going for us, and the end of the season being so close. I think that’s a problem we’ve got to shake real quick.”

The Nets (21-53) will try to shake off their latest porous effort Thursday night in Cleveland against LeBron James and the defending Eastern Conference champion Cavaliers.