Holmström’s First NHL Hat Trick Powers Islanders Past Ducks 6–2 as Barzal Returns

By J.J. Pavlick | Anaheim, CA | November 14, 2026

Mathew Barzal returned to the New York Islanders lineup Saturday night, but Simon Holmström made sure the evening belonged to more than one player. Holmström recorded the first hat trick of his NHL career as the Islanders overwhelmed the Anaheim Ducks 6–2 at Honda Center, finishing their three-game California road trip with five of a possible six points. New York scored four times in the second period, turning an early one-goal advantage into a commanding lead and delivering one of its most complete offensive performances of the season.

Barzal, appearing in his first game of the 2026–27 season after missing 18 games with left knee inflammation, needed less than two minutes to make an impact. His assist on Ben Hutton’s opening goal was an immediate reminder of the creativity and speed the Islanders have missed. Yet the broader story was the balance around him: Holmström’s finishing, Matthew Schaefer’s three-point performance, and Matias Maccelli’s two assists and contributions throughout the lineup made Anaheim chase the game.

Barzal Makes an Immediate Impact in His Return

Hutton opened the scoring at 1:55 of the first period, converting a chance set up by Barzal and Ondřej Palát. The goal gave the Islanders an early foothold, and Semyon Varlamov turned aside all seven Anaheim shots in the opening 20 minutes to preserve a 1–0 lead. For Barzal, the assist came on his first shift back after months spent rebuilding strength in his left leg.

Barzal described the decision to play as instinctive after a productive stretch of practice. “Even today when I made the call to go tonight, I just felt it,” he said after morning skate. Tuesday against Columbus at UBS Arena had been the original plan. The Islanders accelerated that timetable after his knee handled a heavier workload in California.

Before puck drop, head coach Pete DeBoer said the team would monitor Barzal’s minutes as he adjusted to game speed. “We’re going to work him into that,” DeBoer said. The Islanders got an early return on that plan when Barzal helped set up Hutton.

Holmström’s Hat Trick Headlines: Four-Goal Second Period

The decisive separation came in the middle frame, when Bo Horvat doubled the lead on the power play at 1:33, finishing a setup from Matias Maccelli and Matthew Schaefer. Anaheim responded through Nikita Nesterenko at 2:35, but Holmström answered on the rush just 26 seconds later to restore New York’s two-goal cushion. He struck again at 8:28, with Horvat and Kyle Palmieri assisting, before Mitchell Chaffee converted at 10:28 off passes from Schaefer and Maccelli. Cutter Gauthier scored for the Ducks at 16:37, but the Islanders carried a commanding 5–2 advantage into the final intermission.

Holmström completed his first NHL hat trick at 2:41 of the third period, with Victor Eklund providing the assist. His two second-period goals and third-period finish gave New York a reliable answer whenever Anaheim threatened to regain momentum. Hutton, Mitchell Chaffee, and Bo Horvat also scored, while Schaefer collected three assists from the blue line and Maccelli supplied two helpers.

Schaefer’s performance was particularly valuable because his impact extended beyond the score sheet. He helped New York move the puck with pace and joined the attack without abandoning the responsibilities that come with major defensive minutes. The Islanders have often struggled when offensive-zone possessions end without a dangerous chance; against Anaheim, cleaner passing and more decisive finishing made those possessions count.

Varlamov and the Defensive Group Protect the Advantage

With a three-goal cushion entering the third, the Islanders’ task shifted from creating separation to managing the game. They added one more goal and kept Anaheim off the scoreboard in the final period. Varlamov finished with 26 saves on 28 shots, while the Islanders blocked 19 attempts in front of him. Anaheim held a 28–25 advantage in shots on goal, but that margin did not translate into sustained pressure on the scoreboard.

The special-teams sequence mattered while the game was still within reach. Horvat scored six seconds after Noah Warren went off for tripping. Then, with New York up 3–1, the Islanders killed Matthew Schaefer’s delay-of-game penalty before Holmström scored again. Anaheim entered the night converting at 36.8 percent on the power play, and that kill kept the Ducks from getting within one a second time.

Still, the overall response mattered. After stretches of the road trip in which the Islanders had to fight for every goal, they played with a sharper pace, moved the puck more efficiently, and supported one another across all four lines. Their 6–2 victory followed Thursday’s 5–2 win over the Los Angeles Kings, giving New York consecutive regulation wins to close a 2–0–1 California trip.

Bad Dawg Sports Analysis: A Glimpse of the Islanders’ Offensive Ceiling

This was the kind of performance the Islanders have needed: a productive night that did not depend on Ilya Sorokin stealing the result or a single line generating every quality chance. Barzal’s return is an important piece of the equation, but Holmström’s finishing and the contributions from Schaefer, Maccelli, and the supporting forwards made the win convincing. The Islanders attacked with purpose rather than simply waiting for Anaheim to make mistakes.

The four-goal second period showed how dangerous New York can become when its forwards stay connected, its defensemen make clean first passes, and the puck moves quickly enough to force defenders out of position. Holmström deserves the headlines for his first career hat trick, but the larger takeaway is that the offense looked less predictable. When multiple players are threats to score or create, opponents cannot concentrate their coverage on one matchup.

The stretch worth carrying home came just after Nesterenko made it 2–1. New York struck back at five-on-five, protected the two-goal lead while shorthanded and had Chaffee stretch it to four by the middle of the period. That gave Varlamov room to manage the third without needing him to protect a one-goal game.

New York returns from California with momentum and a stronger sense of its offensive possibilities. Holmström has a career milestone, Barzal has his first point of the season, and the Islanders have two convincing wins to build upon. The next challenge is making Saturday’s combination of speed, support, and finishing a repeatable standard rather than a memorable night in Anaheim.

Game at a Glance

Final: New York Islanders 6, Anaheim Ducks 2
Venue: Honda Center, Anaheim, California
Period scoring: Islanders 1–4–1; Ducks 0–2–0
Shots on goal: Islanders 25, Ducks 28
Goaltending: Semyon Varlamov, 26 saves on 28 shots
Key performers: Simon Holmström, three goals; Matthew Schaefer, three points; Matias Maccelli, two assists; Mathew Barzal, assist in season debut
Road trip: Islanders 2–0–1, five of six available points