New York Islanders Weekly Recap: Week 15

The New York Islanders went 0-2-1 in their three games played this week. All three losses were by one goal, with one regulation loss at home to the Golden Knights and one on the road to the Canadiens. The only productive performance came against the Panthers, in which the team won a point by getting it to overtime. The Islanders enter the All-Star break with a 20-17-12 record and 52 total points. 

Tough Second Period and Adin Hill Stifle the Islanders

The Islanders started off the week by hosting the Vegas Golden Knights for their second meeting this month. The returning Adin Hill got the start in net for the Golden Knights and was fantastic early and often. Ivan Barbashev scored the first and only goal of the first period by redirecting a shot past Ilya Sorokin. On a delayed penalty in the second, Brock Nelson got plenty of time and space in the circle to bury the game-tying goal in what was his 500th career point. From here on out, the period belonged to the Golden Knights. 

Sheldon Rempal scored his first career point and goal on a power play opportunity to take back the lead. Less than two minutes after that, Nicolas Roy scored on a play started by an Islanders turnover while trying to exit the zone. While on the kill in the third period, the Islanders got themselves back into the game. The deadly PK duo of Simon Holmstrom and J.G. Pageau struck again, with Holmstrom setting up Pageau with a drop pass that he scored on. Only down one goal, the team fought hard to get back into the game but couldn’t get one past Hill. He made 41 total saves as the Golden Knights held on for the 3-2 win over the Islanders. 

Late Blunder Spoils a Three-Goal Comeback Against the Canadiens

The next game took place on the road in Montreal against the Canadiens, with new Islanders head coach Patrick Roy returning to the city where he won two Stanley Cups as a player. The ensuing first period became an absolute disaster for Roy’s team. A great display of passing on a Canadiens power play set up an open Nick Suzuki in front of Semyon Varlamov for the game’s opening goal. At the 11:36 mark, a turnover gave Cole Caufield some space to work with and score a beauty of a second goal for the Canadiens. Just 43 seconds later, another Canadiens power play resulted in Sean Monahan giving his team a 3-0 lead. 

Roy called his timeout and successfully settled down the team, which wouldn’t let up another goal until much later in the game. Despite the improved play of the team, Sam Montembeault was playing a fantastic game in goal. Bo Horvat finally got the Islanders on the board in the second period on a power play opportunity. 

With things starting to look bleak in the latter half of the third, this game took a major turn. Brendan Gallagher laid a dirty hit on Adam Pelech, a hit that landed him a match penalty and landed the Islanders a continuous, five-minute power play. The team proceeded to take full advantage of this big opportunity. Mat Barzal snapped a shot past Montembeault to bring the Islanders to within one. Then, Kyle Palmieri got a good look in front of the net to tie the game at three.

Just as it looked like they stole a point out of this game, disaster struck. Pierre Engvall committed an ugly turnover trying to exit the zone, helping set up Monahan for the go-ahead goal just over a minute after the game was tied. This proved to be the game-winner, as the Islanders couldn’t find the equalizer. They suffered a painful 4-3 loss to the Canadiens.

Late Game Heroics Salvage a Point in Loss to the Panthers

In the final game before the All-Star break, the Islanders hosted the Florida Panthers. This game was a low-scoring affair, as no goals came until the second period. On a Panthers power play, Sam Reinhart ripped a shot past Varlamov to take the lead. Later in the period, Holmstrom got a swipe at a loose puck and beat Anthony Stolarz to tie it back up. 

Tied 1-1 to start the third, the Panthers power play burned the Islanders again. This time it was Matthew Tkachuk scoring the go-ahead goal with the man advantage. The Islanders struggled to generate chances as they faced a one-goal deficit late in the period. However, with the net empty, the Islanders managed to get themselves back in it. Noah Dobson set up Palmieri with a great pass to score the tying goal and send it to overtime. In overtime, the Islanders were unsuccessful in winning the second point. Evan Rodrigues and Oliver Ekman-Larsson broke out on a two-on-one, with Ekman-Larsson scoring the game winner. The Islanders ended the first half of their season with a 3-2 overtime loss to the Panthers, their third straight loss. 

3 Stars of the Week

1. Noah Dobson (5 assists)

2. Kyle Palmieri (2 game-tying goals on a man advantage and an assist)

3. Mat Barzal (PPG, 2 assists) 

Featured image courtesy of NHL.com

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