For a few minutes in the third period, the New York Islanders looked like they would complete the comeback of the season. Brock Nelson scored twice, and a Bo Horvat goal cut the Montreal Canadiens lead to 4-3, giving them all the momentum in the third period. It was too little and too late as the Canadiens held on and added an empty-net goal to cap off the 5-3 victory.
Related: 4 Takeaways From Islanders’ 4-3 Win vs Ducks
The Islanders made the game close, but they looked like a tired, fatigued, and lethargic team until the third period. It resulted in their first regulation loss since the Nov. 28, 5-4 loss to the New Jersey Devils, snapping an eight-game point streak. It was a loss where the Islanders, for the first time in a while, looked like a beatable team and, more importantly, a team with many weaknesses, which wasn’t apparent during the recent six-game homestand.
Islanders Defense Costs Them
The Canadiens generated 41 shots on the net and 36 through the first two periods of play, yet that doesn’t tell the full story of the Islanders’ defensive performance. This game was one of the worst from the defensive unit this season, and that says a lot, considering they’ve allowed five goals or more seven times this season. Noah Dobson had a strong night, but aside from him, the entire unit struggled.
The skaters failed to limit shooting lanes and allowed the Canadiens offense to operate without many issues. They struggled to clear the puck out of the defensive zone and allowed the opposition to maintain possession and control of the game. Additionally, the unit allowed the Canadiens to find open shots in the high-danger areas, which allowed them to score four goals in the second period.
For the most part, the Islanders have managed to play well despite the absence of Ryan Pulock, Adam Pelech, and Scott Mayfield. Mike Reilly and Robert Bortuzzo have entered the lineup as midseason acquisitions and have been pleasant surprises, while Dobson and Alexander Romanov have formed the team’s new top pair. However, against the Canadiens, the defense looked awful, and it unraveled against a team that averages only 2.62 goals per game.
Slow Start Finally Catches Up to the Islanders
The Islanders played their second game of a back-to-back and, more importantly, were coming off a draining 5-4 shootout loss to the Boston Bruins. Meanwhile, the Canadiens last played on Wednesday, Dec. 13 in a 4-3 shootout loss against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The gap was noticeable early on, with the Islanders stumbling out of the gate and struggling to keep up with a team near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. They were outshot 15-10 in the first period, and it was surprising that the game was scoreless.
The second period was where things unraveled for the Islanders. Joel Armia put the Canadiens on the board at 7:45 into the period, and Josh Anderson, who entered the game with only one goal on the season, found the back of the net twice. The second period was capped off with a Cole Caufield goal, and the Islanders went into the third period down 4-0 and with the game essentially out of reach.
There are two ways to look at the slow start and the awful second period. Either the Islanders were a tired team due for a game like this, or the defensive woes and the age of the roster finally showed. The former provides optimism for a team that has looked great recently, but the latter indicates that the Islanders look poised to fall off a cliff. This suddenly makes the upcoming games intriguing as they will determine what type of team they will become this season.
Nelson’s 2-Goal Game
Through 30 games played, Nelson has 15 goals. If this pace continues, he’ll have his first 40-goal season of his career, and there’s little reason to doubt he can reach that mark based on how he’s played. The two-goal game against the Canadiens from Nelson was the bright spot for the Islanders in the 5-3 loss and briefly gave them hope as they looked like they would complete the comeback.
The first Nelson goal came shorthanded as he carried the puck into the offensive zone and, with a wrist shot, found the back of the net to put the Islanders on the board. Just 1:36 later, Nelson found the puck near the net and slipped it into the goal to cut the Canadiens lead to 4-2 early in the third period. While the Islanders were outplayed from the opening puck drop, the team’s top goalscorers made the game close and gave them a chance to win, with Bo Horvat scoring the third goal late in the third period.
Other Takeaways From Islanders Loss
- Semyon Varlamov put together a strong effort in the net, but there was only so much he could do with the Canadiens generating 41 shots on the net. He saved 36 shots and ended up on the losing end, with the defense failing to show up.
- Dobson assisted all three goals for the Islanders and now has 27 on the season. Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes are the only two defensemen with more assists than Dobson this season.
- The Islanders had a rough performance in the faceoff circle. They won only 30.8% of draws, with Casey Cizikas particularly struggling, going 0-6 from the dot.
What’s Next for the Islanders?
After a rough night on the road, the Islanders will head back home to face an Edmonton Oilers team that has looked unbeatable in recent games. Since they hired Kris Knoblauch as their head coach, they have gone 10-4 and have climbed out of the bottom of the Pacific Division. When the Islanders faced them on Nov. 13, they were a different team, and now, led by a resurgent offense that is scoring 3.52 goals per game, they will be a tough test.
The Islanders have been humbled in their last two games, losing to the Bruins in a shootout and getting outplayed by a Canadiens team that is having a season to forget. There’s a lot of pressure on the Islanders to bounce back and string together a few wins to not only head into the holiday break strong but remain near the top of the Metropolitan Division.
