Anders Lee Steps Up For Islanders, Cotinues Strong Start To Season With Two-Goal Performance Against Edmonton

The New York Islanders looked lost against the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night, with goaltender Ilya Sorokin saving the day, one save at a time.

However, despite the stellar goaltending, the Islanders were down 3-1 after allowing a goal in the opening minute of the third.

Through two periods, the Islanders had generated 16 total shots, and now, chasing two, they seemed destined for a regulation loss.

Except that didn't happen because of Islanders captain Anders Lee.

His two goals were part of a late, third-period comeback against the Oilers.

Both of them came from his office in front of the net, finishing a rebound on his first tally at 12:54 of the third before he finished a thread from Jean-Gabriel Pageau from down low on the second at 17:20 of the third:

"He's in the class of guys like [Chris] Kreider. They are really good around the net, and that's their bread and butter," Islanders head coach Patrick Roy said. "Seeing the way Anders has been playing, how heavy he gets when the puck is behind the net, to bring it in front...actually, he scored against Colorado that way, then generated some offense that way. So I like it. It was a great play against Ottawa when the pass was made in front.

"But he is in the paint. He is in that area. And I think that's one of the reasons why he is having success right now."

Looking at Lee's recent performance, he has more than picked up the slack with Mathew Barzal and Anthony Duclair out.

Alongside Pageau and Bo Horvat, he's tallied three goals and five assists for eight points in six games since the line was put together.

Pageau earned two assists in the game, putting his total on line one at three goals and two assists.

Horvat was kept quiet on Tuesday but still boasts two goals and five assists since joining Lee and Pageau.

Part of Lee's recent success is that he's taking shots at a higher clip than in recent seasons.

Both of his shots on Tuesday found the back of the net, putting his season shot total at 55.

Earlier this season, he recorded the most shots he's had in a game since 2022, totaling seven against the Colorado Avalanche.

Related: Inside The Numbers: Islanders Anders Lee Produces Highest Shot Output In Three Years Monday In Colorado

Doing the math, his 82-shot projection is a grand total of about 282, which shatters his previous career-high of 214 in 2022-23.

To put that into perspective, Lee only recorded 208 shots in his 40-goal season in 2017-18.

All told, in his current form, Lee is on pace for about 31 goals and 26 assists for 57 points, a welcome jump from his 20 goals and 17 assists for 37 points last season.

It's unknown if the Islanders' captain will keep up the production for all 82 games, as the two forwards' returns might mean the lines return to what they were before their injuries.

However, Lee is the team leader. His contributions were needed for the team to find offense with Barzal and Duclair on the shelf, and they've been significant for the Islanders as they try to stay afloat without them.