Here, finally, came a game in which the Islanders went up against a top-end opponent and checked just about every box, including that most important one: winning. This was needed in every way, this emotionally charged comeback 4-2 victory over the Panthers on Sunday night at UBS Arena which saw the Islanders put together a four-goal third period to beat the defending Stanley Cup champions on the night Mike Reilly returned to the lineup following heart surgery and put a stretch pass across two zones onto Maxim Tsyplakov’s tape for the game-tying goal.

The New York Islanders entered Sunday night's matchup against the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers six points back of the second wild-card spot with 16 games to go.