March 1, 2026; El Monte, New York, USA; New York Islanders left wing Anders Lee (27) is happy after scoring a goal in Game 3 against the Florida Panthers at UBS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Image The New York Islanders know they can’t always rely on dramatic comeback wins.
The Anaheim Ducks found that out the hard way Tuesday night.
The Islanders will look to stay hot on Wednesday night when they visit the Ducks in the final clash of the season between two surprise playoff contenders.
The Islanders have been idle since captain Anders Lee scored the winning goal with 32 seconds left in the third quarter of Sunday’s 5-4 win over the visiting Florida Panthers.
The Ducks will look to complete a straight set after ending their five-game winning streak with a 5-1 loss to the visiting Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday night.
Lee’s goal marked the fifth straight win for the Islanders, who have overcome multiple-goal deficits in each of their last three wins. This is the longest winning streak in franchise history.
Before beating the Panthers, the Islanders returned from the Olympic break to record 4-3 overtime wins on the road against Montreal and Columbus. New York fell behind 2-0 in the first period on Sunday after falling behind 2-0 in the second period against the Canadiens and Blue Jackets.
The Islanders are tied on points with the Pittsburgh Penguins for second place in the Metropolitan Division. They are five points behind the fourth-place Blue Jackets.
“Hopefully it’s something you don’t want to do every night,” coach Patrick Roy said Sunday night, referring to the Islanders’ tendency to come back. “But what I mean is, I like the fact that we don’t change the game. We stay focused and do what we have to do.”
Lee scored two goals in New York’s 5-2 win over Anaheim on December 11.
After three straight come-from-behind wins, the Ducks finally dug themselves into too deep a hole on Tuesday night. That’s because the Avalanche scored two goals in less than three minutes in the first period.
Cutter Gauthier scored at 4:50 of the second period for the Ducks, but Colorado put the game away with three unanswered goals. Gauthier’s goal was his team-leading 29th of the season and sixth in his last six games.
In addition to Gauthier’s strong performance, Anaheim coach Joel Quenneville took issue with the team’s tendency to fall behind.
“Playing from behind is not traditionally what wins games in hockey,” Quenneville said. “You can’t expect to keep chasing games.”
The loss cost the Ducks their chance to move past the Vegas Golden Knights for first place in the Pacific Division. Anaheim has 69 points, one less than the Golden Knights, who lost 3-2 to the Buffalo Sabers on Tuesday.
“We were fortunate to come back and show a lot of resilience in the group, but you can’t do that every game,” Ducks left winger Alex Killorn said. “It’s not going to work that way, so we have to find a way to get a lead and get off to a better start.”
–Field level media
