Holmstrom's first career hat trick lifts Islanders to 6-2 win over Ducks

Simon Holmstrom scored his first career hat trick and Matthew Schaefer added three assists as the New York Islanders beat the Anaheim Ducks 6-2 on Saturday night in Anaheim, California. The win ended a California trip with five of a possible six points for an Islanders team that began it on a losing streak.

Ben Hutton scored 1:55 into the game, when his shot through traffic deflected through Lukas Dostal's legs; Mathew Barzal, playing his first game of the season after knee inflammation, got the assist. Bo Horvat opened a four-goal second period, and Holmstrom scored at 3:01 and 8:28 for a 4-1 lead. Mitchell Chaffee made it 5-1 off a feed from Schaefer. Semyon Varlamov made 25 saves. For Anaheim, Nikita Nesterenko scored and Cutter Gauthier extended his goal streak to eight games, while Dostal stopped 19 shots. The Ducks' five-game winning streak had ended with a 4-2 loss to Nashville on Wednesday. The Islanders had also beaten the Kings 5-2 on Thursday.

The New York Post, on the right, writes from the Islanders' perspective, calling it their “best game in weeks” in the lede's framing and crediting Barzal with the vibes while arguing the night became more about Holmstrom, Maccelli and Schaefer. It stresses crisp passing, all four lines contributing, hard back-checking and coach Pete DeBoer's team at its best. The Los Angeles Times, on the left, leads with the same hat trick but gives balanced, neutral play-by-play, including Gauthier's eight-game goal streak, Nesterenko's goal, Dostal's saves and the end of Anaheim's winning streak. Its headline puts Gauthier's streak first, while the Post's headline centers on Barzal's return. Both agree on the 6-2 score, Holmstrom's hat trick, Schaefer's production and Barzal's assist. Reuters reports the same basic result.