The New York Islanders secured their first win of the season with a 4-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers at UBS Arena, witnessed by 14,837 fans. Bo Horvat was central to the win, breaking a 2-2 tie in the third period with a power play goal and completing his natural hat trick with an empty-netter. This marked Horvat’s second career hat trick and his first with the Islanders.
David Rittich made 31 saves in his Islanders debut, becoming the 59th goalie to play for the team and earning his first win for his sixth NHL club. The game saw Mathew Barzal open scoring for New York before Edmonton responded with goals from Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Horvat tied the game late in the second period with a shorthanded goal.
Horvat became the first Islander since Patrick Flatley in 1994 to score a power play goal, shorthanded goal, and even strength goal in one game. His three goals brought his career total to 272, surpassing several notable players on the all-time list.
Jonathan Drouin continued his point streak to three games, while rookie defenseman Matthew Schaefer extended his own streak to four games. Schaefer is now only two games away from tying Marek Zidlicky’s record for most consecutive games with a point by a defenseman at the start of an NHL career.
Casey Cizikas played his 901st game for New York, tying Brock Nelson for fourth place on the club’s all-time list.
The Islanders improved their record to 1-3-0 as they prepare to face Ottawa next. Edmonton fell to 2-0-1 overall.
