The New York Islanders ran into the worst possible opponent as they have struggled in recent games and look like a team with glaring weaknesses across the board. They faced the Boston Bruins, who have only lost two games this season and have the best record in the Eastern Conference. The Islanders were coming off back-to-back losses including a 4-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Nov. 7 and turning the season around on Nov. 9 felt like an uphill battle.
Related: 3 Takeaways From Islanders’ 4-2 Loss vs Wild
The game was a reflection of two teams heading in opposite directions. The Bruins, who look like they will contend for the Cup, never trailed and cruised to a decisive 5-2 victory on their home ice. The Islanders, who have lost four of their last five games, looked outmatched and suddenly, their season is spiraling out of control. At 5-4-3, they are in fourth place in the Metropolitan Divison and all the pressure is on head coach Lane Lambert to turn things around or he might not be coaching the team for long.
The recent loss was concerning for a lot of reasons considering they allowed five goals for the third time this season. Sure, the Bruins are one of the league’s best teams and will run up the score on a lot of opponents, but the strengths of the Islanders at times, especially during this slump, looked like weaknesses.
Sorokin Struggled Again
Ilya Sorokin has had a string of bad starts and that’s putting it lightly. He allowed five goals in consecutive starts resulting in a 5-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Oct. 20 and a 7-4 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Oct. 24. A week later, he allowed four goals in back-to-back starts, resulting in overtime losses to the Detroit Red Wings and the Carolina Hurricanes. The Bruins have a great offense but this was the game for Sorokin to remind everyone that he is still one of the best goaltenders in the league.
While he made 30 saves in the recent game, he allowed four goals. Sorokin was a shutdown goaltender last season who could not only carry the Islanders with remarkable performances but also keep games close. So far this season, he’s struggled and allowed games to get out of reach. The Bruins peppered him with shots early and often but the floodgates opened late as he allowed two third-period goals to prevent the Islanders from mounting a comeback.
Sorokin has allowed four goals in each of his last three starts, something that was unheard of a season ago as he’d bounce back from rough nights in the net. Suddenly, the Islanders have a dilemma when it comes to who they should start for their upcoming game. Sorokin hasn’t looked great and Semyon Varlamov has looked better in the net through 12 games. It’s a question the Islanders must answer by Saturday night as they’ll either roll with the goaltender who is one of the best in the league but in arguably the worst slump of his career or the veteran who at the minimum provides stability.
Islanders’ Penalties Cost Them
The Bruins have the talent to take advantage of a surplus of power play opportunities. The Islanders only took three penalties but saw firsthand how costly it is to give the Bruins a man advantage, scoring two of their five goals on the power play.
The Islanders were undisciplined but made a few mistakes that cost them in a game where they needed to be flawless. Jean-Gabriel Pageau’s holding penalty in the second period allowed the Bruins to take a 2-1 lead and head into the third period with all the momentum. Trailing by a goal, Oliver Wahlstrom tripped up Matthew Poitras to allow David Pastrnak to sneak the puck past Sorokin and put the game out of reach.
Throughout this season, the Islanders have been an undisciplined team that has taken a lot of penalties and has allowed opponents to find power play opportunities late that have swung the moment of the game. This has been a reflection of Lambert’s style which is more aggressive but at the same time, less disciplined. The Islanders have to take the good with the bad but with the team unraveling, all eyes are turning to Lambert for allowing them to look like a team that is losing games they should otherwise easily win.
Islanders’ Defense Unravels
Another theme during this tough stretch the Islanders are going through is the defense unraveling. They allowed three unanswered goals in the third period against the Red Wings on Oct. 30 to lose 4-3 in overtime. Against the Hurricanes on Nov. 4, they had a 3-0 lead but allowed three goals in the third period to lose 4-3 in overtime. While they didn’t blow a lead against the Wild, they allowed two goals in the third period to lose the game 4-2.
With Adam Pelech out of the lineup, the Islanders played the game without one of their best defensemen and it showed. They allowed three goals in the third period with multiple shots coming from the slot. If Pelech were in the lineup, he’d be one of the skaters playing the slot and blocking the shooting lanes but instead, the Bruins generated shots on the net throughout the game.
When the defensive unit is healthy it’s one of the best in the league and the Islanders look like a playoff team because of it. However, the defense hasn’t been healthy, leading to the ultimate issue with the unit. They rely heavily on a healthy roster in a league where injuries are inevitable. When Scott Mayfield was out of the lineup, the defense took a step back and with Pelech sidelined, the defense once again looks like a shell of its usual self. Great teams are built to overcome injuries and they have the players in place capable of stepping up and keeping them competitive. When the Islanders lose one defenseman, the unit unravels, especially late in games and the Bruins were just another team that took advantage of them.
Charlie Coyle Gashes The Islanders
The Bruins have a roster where on any given night, any skater can step up and take over the game. Usually, it’s Brad Marchand or Pastrnak leading the offense, or Hampus Lindholm, Charlie McAvoy, or Brandon Carlo leading the defense. In this game, it was Charlie Coyle, a middle-six forward who stepped up and singlehandedly beat the Islanders.
Coyle scored his first career hat trick and added an assist to lead the Bruins to a dominant 5-2 victory. He played close to the net and waited for the puck to find him. The Islanders ran into a skater who had a hot hand and there wasn’t much they could do to stop him.
Other Takeaways From The Islanders’ Loss
- Simon Holmstrom scored a shorthanded goal on the rush with Pageau finding him with a cross-ice pass. The two skaters are forming a strong connection and Holmstrom, who struggled last season, has four goals to begin this season.
- Brock Nelson scored his sixth goal of the season as he deflected the puck out of the air on the power play. The goal came from a Noah Dobson shot from the point which gave him his team-leading eighth assist of the season. Dobson and Nelson have been two of the Islanders’ best skaters this season and they started the scoring but disappeared, along with the rest of the offense, shortly afterward.
What’s Next For The Islanders
The Islanders head back to UBS Arena to face the Washington Capitals on Nov. 11, a team they defeated on Nov. 2 with a 3-0 victory. After facing the Capitals, the Islanders will head out west for a four-game road trip where they will face the Edmonton Oilers, Vancouver Canucks, Seattle Kraken, and Calgary Flames.
Latest THW Headlines
Lambert isn’t the reason the Islanders are struggling at the moment. However, the recent collapses reflect his hit-or-miss, go-big, or go-home style. In recent games, the style has backfired as the Islanders not only look undisciplined but have fallen apart in multiple games. If the team doesn’t turn things around quickly, starting with the upcoming game against the Capitals, Lambert won’t be on the hot seat as much as he’ll be replaced behind the bench.
