The New York Islanders played two completely different types of games on Monday, Oct. 30 against the Detroit Red Wings. Through 40 minutes, the two teams combined for one goal, a similar sight for the Islanders who have won multiple low-scoring games this season. There were five goals scored in the third period and the game ended 4-3 with the Red Wings coming away with an overtime victory.
The overtime loss provides a bittersweet feeling for the Islanders, who earned a point for the third game in a row but lost their first game since the Oct. 24 loss to the Colorado Avalanche. The three goals scored were a particular bright spot, especially with one goal coming on the power play with under five minutes left in regulation to allow the Islanders to come away with a point.
Horvat Shows What Power Play Can Look Like
The power play once again looks like a weakness for the Islanders. After scoring only 15.77 percent of opportunities last season, the unit entered the game against the Red Wings scoring only 13.04 percent of opportunities. With the Islanders looking awful on the man advantage, it felt like it would be a miracle if they scored when they were granted a power play in the final five minutes of the game.
Related: 4 Takeaways From Islanders’ 2-0 Win vs Blue Jackets
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The Islanders established an offensive zone presence and off of some effective passes, Bo Horvat found a shooting lane in the center of the offensive zone. A Mathew Barzal pass allowed him to quickly fire the puck to the net and tie up the game to force overtime. Horvat made his mark last season with the Vancouver Canucks on the power play by finding open shots and taking advantage. While he struggled after the Islanders acquired him during the 2023 All-Star Break, it looks like he’s returning to form with his power play success and early season scoring surge.
Horvat has four goals this season and while it’s unlikely he’ll surpass last season’s career best of 38, he’s on pace for a big season. More importantly, his shot on the power play looks like it’s back, and with Barzal finding him in the center of the offensive zone, his firepower looks to be a valuable asset.
Islanders’ Defense Unravels
Recently, the Islanders have been able to rely on their defense and checking forwards to close out games. Against the Ottawa Senators on Oct. 26, they held a 3-2 lead in the final five minutes and closed out the victory with the forecheck. The game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Oct. 28 was a goaltending duel and holding a 1-0 lead, the Islanders allowed their defense to create turnovers and start up the offense to pull away with a 2-0 shutout win.
In this game, the Islanders had a 2-0 lead 1:05 into the third period and looked poised to once again close out a game. Instead, they looked exhausted and allowed three goals in a four-minute span to squander the comfortable lead and ultimately lose the game.
It’s games like these where Scott Mayfield’s absence is felt the most. He’s the reliable veteran defenseman who won’t make mistakes and allow the opposition to find easy scoring opportunities. With Mayfield sidelined for multiple weeks with a lower-body injury, the mistakes, especially from the younger skaters, have started to show. The Red Wings found a surplus of scoring opportunities in the third period with plenty of open shots near the net and it cost the Islanders a game that was theirs for the taking.
Islanders’ Penalty Kill Steps Up Once Again
Against the Blue Jackets, the Islanders killed off all three penalties, allowing backup goaltender Semyon Varlamov to earn his first shutout of the season and 39th of his career. The Islanders haven’t been the most disciplined team this season but playing well shorthanded has helped curb the damage of the costly penalties. The Red Wings were only given two power play opportunities and they both failed and allowed Casey Cizikas to find the back of the net off of a turnover.
Cizikas is one of the better penalty-killing forwards on the Islanders’ roster and is known for bringing the puck up the ice to help take some time off the clock. This time, his speed caught the Red Wings off guard and he found himself with a breakaway opportunity, allowing him to slip the puck into the net for the Islanders’ first goal of the game. The penalty kill becoming strength can be credited largely to forwards like Cizikas who not only create turnovers but move the puck up the ice shortly afterward.
Dobson Continues To Produce
It’s been a common theme throughout the season. Noah Dobson puts the puck on the net and good things happen. While he didn’t score the second goal of the game, his slapshot allowed the Islanders to find the back of the net. He found the puck at the point and his blast allowed Brock Nelson to redirect the shot into the goal to give the Islanders a 2-0 lead.
He didn’t put the puck on the net on the team’s power-play goal but his puck movement once again played a big role. He had the puck at the point and his quick pass to Barzal allowed Horvat to find a shooting lane and tie the game up 3-3 in the third period.
With the two assists, Dobson has two goals and a team-leading seven assists. After scoring 13 goals and 36 assists last season, the Islanders’ best two-way defenseman looks to not only surpass those totals this season but put himself on the map as one of the league’s best two-way defensemen.
Other Takeaways From The Islanders’ Loss
- Ilya Sorokin allowed four goals with three of them coming in the third period but he had a strong performance in the net. He made 32 saves and notably kept the Red Wings from finding the back of the net for the first 40 minutes of action.
- On a similar note, Red Wings’ goaltender Ville Husso was the best player for the majority of this game. The Islanders generated 40 shots on goal but Husso made 37 saves to will his team to the 4-3 overtime victory.
What’s Next For The Islanders
The Islanders will head back on the road to face the Washington Capitals on Thursday, Nov. 2. The Capitals last played on Sunday, Oct. 29, and defeated the San Jose Sharks, arguably the worst team in the NHL. With both teams looking to improve in the Metropolitan Division, the upcoming game looks to be a great one.
The recent defeat looks like one that could haunt the Islanders in the long haul, especially if they miss the playoffs by a few points. For now, the team will take the point in a game where they looked poised to lose in the final minutes only to force overtime. The big thing is to avoid a losing streak and with the Capitals looking the rebound, the Islanders won’t be able to take them lightly.
