The Islanders have kept up a disappointing pattern of play that has lasted yet another week. They again dropped two narrow games and mixed in one good win for a 1-2 record on the week. Despite picking up three out of six points this week, the Islanders have dropped out of a playoff spot. Their 40 points puts them two behind the rival Washington Capitals for the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.
This second meeting between the Islanders and Avalanche had a much different feel compared to their first meeting. The game at UBS Arena featured nine total goals in regulation whereas this game featured a more defensive matchup. In fact, this game featured absolutely no goal scoring at all throughout regulation and overtime. It was a true goalie showdown between Ilya Sorokin and Alexandar Georgiev, who both could not be beat.
Amongst the more notable moments from regulation play was Cale Makar waiving off a first period penalty that was about to be called in Colorado’s favor. It was a truly bizarre but respectable move on Makar’s part that erased an early scoring opportunity for the Avalanche.
With regulation and overtime unable to settle things, it all came down to the shootout for the second point. Evan Rodrigues was the only Avalanche player able to beat Sorokin, utilizing some slick stick moves to score. None of the Islanders three skaters were able to get one by Georgiev, leaving Rodrigues’ shootout goal as the difference maker in a 1-0 win for the Avalanche.
After a west coast swing, the Islanders returned to New York on Thursday to take on the Rangers as MSG for their final game of the regular season, with the Islanders looking to sweep the series. Anders Lee got the Islanders going in the right direction, beating Igor Shesterkin with a wrister at 12:48 for the 1-0 first period lead. However, an ugly delay of game penalty on Noah Dobson during a clearing attempt got the Rangers back into it. Artemi Panarin scored on the ensuing power play to knot things up at one.
The Islanders took back the lead when Mat Barzal got off on a breakaway and beat Shesterkin with his backhand in the second period. However, it only took three minutes for the Rangers to tie it up again with Julien Gauthier beating Sorokin with a backhand of his own after speeding right by Robin Salo. Alex Romanov got the Islanders back on top, ripping a one timer set up by Barzal for his first goal of the season.
The third period began with the Islanders up 3-2, but the Rangers didn’t let that last long. Barclay Goodrow deflected a Gauthier shot past Sorokin to tie it up just three minutes into the period. The game remained tied at three heading into the final five minutes of regulation. At 15:07, Scott Mayfield took a bad cross checking penalty to set the Rangers up with a prime power play chance. While the Isles were successful on the kill, K’Andre Miller set up Kaapo Kakko with a great pass to beat Sorokin with a wrister just moments after the power play expired to give the Rangers the lead for the first time. The Islanders didn’t get much of a chance to tie it back up with the net empty. A quick turnover helped set up Vincent Trocheck for the game sealing empty netter for a 5-3 final score.
This final game before the holiday break came with a lot of interesting storylines for the Islanders. They played Sorokin for a second consecutive night with Parker Wotherspoon and Aatu Raty making their NHL debuts as well. The Isles got off to a bad start in this one, getting shut out in the first period despite having a whopping four power plays. Matthew Tkachuk scored off a rebound on Sorokin to give the Panthers a 1-0 advantage in the first. Despite the shaky start, the Islanders finally got things going in the second period.
Anthony Beauvillier evened things up at one a piece at 5:20, beating Sergei Bobrovsky with a wrist shot. Then in the final minute of the second, Ryan Pulock took a shot from the top of the circle that sent the Islanders into the third with a 2-1 lead.
Unlike their previous game, the Islanders were able to successfully defend their lead in the third. Aatu Raty scored his first NHL goal in his first NHL game at 7:10 for some much needed insurance. Zach Parise scored another insurance marker with a backhand shot just a minute later. The Panthers cleared their net with over five minutes left to go, but Beauvillier scored his second of the night on the empty net to secure a 5-1 win.
This week of play was more of the same of what we’ve been seeing from the Islanders over the last month. They didn’t play particularly badly, but some incomplete performances resulted in two losses. Most notable again was the lack of production from the power play unit. They went 0/9 on the man advantage this week. They’ve failed to score on 21 consecutive power plays dating back to the win against the Devils two weeks ago. With how tightly contested the games against the Avalanche and Rangers were, finding a power play goal could’ve changed the outcome of either of those two losses.
That really exemplifies what’s going so wrong for the Islanders right now; unforced errors. They can usually keep up with their competition but cost themselves games because of one or two pivotal miscues. The Islanders very well could’ve taken the game against the Rangers if not for sloppy defense and that untimely Mayfield cross checking penalty. These self-inflicted mistakes are going to be a big factor into whether they can find their way back to the postseason or not. This team has proven they can play a quality game, but a lack of disciplined play can completely derail this season if it continues.
1. Anders Lee (Goal against Rangers, two assists in win vs. Panthers)
2. Ilya Sorokin (Saved 97/102 shots, shutout against Avalanche and win vs. Panthers)
3. Alex Romanov (First goal w/Islanders and assist vs. Rangers, assist vs. Panthers)
Featured image courtesy of NHLI via Getty Images
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