Christopher Gibson literally saved the Islanders Sunday night.
In his seventh NHL appearance, the Finnish goaltender notched a career-high 50 saves versus the Calgary Flames, becoming the second rookie goalie in Islanders history to make 50-plus saves in a game. Billy Smith is the only other Isle to do so, making 55 saves against Philadelphia in 1972.
The 5-2 victory earned Gibson his second NHL win and his first this season, improving to a 1-0-2 mark in 2017-18. His performance helped his team snap an eight-game losing streak, which began Feb. 16.
A smiling Doug Weight was pleased to see his team's losing streak finally come to an end on the back of Gibson's 50 saves.
"He was really good, made some big saves. And again, [he] kind of fed off his first two games, just looked really comfortable. He's playing really well," the Weight said after the Sunday night win. "They shoot the puck, we knew that. They had 14-15 shots on the PP as well so it was a big test for him having five power plays and he passed."
The Flames' 52 total shots marked a season high. Mike Smith made 22 saves for Calgary in his first start since returning from a lower-body injury that sidelined him for 13 games.
Anders Lee scored twice for the Isles, while Johnny Boychuk recorded a goal and two assists to bolster New York's revival. Johnny Gaudreau registered a goal and an assist for Calgary, with Mark Giordano scoring the Flames' second goal of the night.
The Islanders were the first visitors in Calgary's three-game homestand. New York will head home to kick off the first night of a home-and-home against Washington on Thursday.