After a lengthy offseason, the New York Islanders dropped their season opener to the Utah Hockey Club at UBS Arena. Despite holding three separate leads throughout the game, the Islanders were unable to secure the win, a scenario all too familiar to fans from last season. With Game 1 in the books, what were the key storylines and takeaways from the team’s first performance of the season?
Tsyplakov and Duclair Shine
Islanders offseason addition, Maxim Tsyplakov, had an impressive preseason and carried the momentum into his NHL Debut. Not only did he tally a goal but he was physical and great defensively. He ended the night with six hits, double the total of any other player on either team. He used his physicality to create space in the offensive zone and win possession in the neutral zone—an area where the team now struggles with the departures of Cal Clutterbuck and Matt Martin.
Tsyplakov’s goal came with just over two minutes remaining in the third period. On an odd-man rush, Brock Nelson carried the puck into the offensive zone and set up Tsyplakov, who was patiently waiting in the slot to fire a wrist shot past Connor Ingram, giving the Islanders the lead. Tsyplakov finished the game with 0.48 expected goals (xG), the highest of any Islander according to MoneyPuck. He also led the team in expected goals percentage (xG%) at 68.2%. He finished the night with the second-most time on ice (20:46) and became the first skater in franchise history to play over 20 minutes in a debut, per Eric Hornick.
Related: Fans Shouldn’t Expect Anything Different From the Islanders This Season
The Islanders’ other 2024 offseason addition, Anthony Duclair, also made a strong impact, scoring the team’s opening goal and adding an assist later on. His goal came on the power play—something the Islanders hope to see more of—as he deflected Noah Dobson’s point shot off his skate past Ingram. After Utah battled back to take a 2-1 lead, Duclair set up Bo Horvat in the slot for a one-timer to tie the game at 2-2.
Duclair’s speed is his standout quality. Skating alongside Mat Barzal, he finally gave Barzal another fast, offensive-minded winger. The Duclair-Horvat-Barzal line generated 10 shots in just over 11 minutes of ice time together. Individually, Duclair recorded 0.34 xG, the third-highest among Islanders skaters, and posted a 63.4 xG%, second-best on the team. Despite the loss, both of the Islanders’ new additions had promising debuts that signal potential for the season ahead.
3 Blown Leads
The Islanders were notorious for blowing leads during the 2023-24 season before losing in overtime, and their 2024-25 season opener was frustratingly no different. The team squandered three separate one-goal leads throughout the game before ultimately falling in overtime. After Duclair’s first-period goal, the Islanders held the lead for nearly eight minutes before a Lawson Crouse power-play goal tied it at 1-1.
Jean-Gabriel Pageau restored the lead with a shorthanded goal in the second period, making it 3-2, but just 45 seconds later, Dylan Guenther scored his first of the night to level the score at 3-3. The Islanders’ penalty kill unit—plagued by similar issues as last season, when they posted the NHL’s worst penalty kill success rate at 71.49%— struggled once again.
The most devastating blown lead came in the final two minutes of the third period. Just 23 seconds after Tsyplakov put the Islanders ahead 4-3, Noah Dobson was beaten by rookie Josh Doan, who slipped a shot past Semyon Varlamov to tie the game. Although the Islanders generated a few quality chances in overtime, the game felt lost the moment they let the lead slip away and Guenther fired one past the slot 2:18 into the extra frame to notch his second goal of the night.
Special Teams Still a Struggle
Despite taking only four penalty minutes compared to Utah’s 12, the Islanders failed to capitalize. They managed one power-play goal and one shorthanded goal but conceded on both penalty kills. After scoring on their first power play, the Islanders struggled to maintain possession, generating just 0.884 expected goals (xG) over the next 10 minutes with the man advantage.
While Dobson is an effective power-play quarterback, he held onto the puck too long on multiple occasions, which could be attributed to a lack of chemistry among the unit. Tsyplakov looked promising as the physical, net-front presence, though he needs to improve on putting rebounds back on the net. Additionally, both power-play units struggled to create one-timer opportunities. These issues can likely be resolved over time, but the penalty kill’s problems appear more deep-rooted.
The Islanders conceded on both penalty kills, looking helpless. The first goal came from a Crouse slapshot in the slot, where he was left completely unchallenged by all four Islanders skaters. Similarly, Mattias Maccelli, who set up Crouse, faced no pressure.
Utah’s second power-play goal was equally troubling, as Dylan Guenther was left wide open for a one-timer from a Clayton Keller feed that cut through the middle of the ice. Much like last season, the Islanders’ penalty kill applied no pressure on the puck carrier, allowing the opposition to take uncontested shots.
Despite the loss, the Islanders played a strong game in their season opener. This was Utah’s second game, and the Islanders managed themselves well outside of a few noteworthy shifts. Now heading on the road for three games out west, the team will need to build on the positives to come away with some crucial wins on their road trip.
