from Larry Brooks of the New York Post,

Maybe it’s simply the opponent. I don’t know. But what I do know is that when Ross Johnston plays against the Rangers, which is when I see him most, the Islanders winger spends essentially every moment on the ice stalking Blueshirts while the game goes on around him.

But I know this as well. Johnston and his ilk were prime factors in the Islanders’ 4-0 Game 1 victory over the Flyers on a Monday night in Toronto where the team wearing white staked out its territory like junkyard dogs.

All in a good way.

Like on the shift early in the third period while the Islanders were protecting the 1-0 lead they’d gained on Andy Greene’s score at 6:06 of the first. The puck was put in deep. Philly defenseman Travis Sanheim went to retrieve it. Johnston went to retrieve Sanheim. The winger pinned the defenseman and the puck, linemate Leo Komarov swooped in to win the battle, he found J-G Pageau all alone in the slot, and lickety-split, it was 2-0 at 2:54.

That pretty much was that.

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