CALGARY, Alberta — The Islanders should be heading again over the border with three wins in 4 video games to date on this journey, thrilled not simply with how they’re taking part in, however with the outcomes they’re getting.
As a substitute, they’re flying to Detroit seeking to salvage a 2-1-2 document out of this five-game journey, questioning how they only let two straight video games slip by way of their fingers after not simply main within the third interval, however feeling that they have been the higher workforce.
That feeling is nothing new, so at the least in a single sense, Tuesday’s 2-1 shootout loss to the Flames was not a shock.
For a second straight sport — and for what already feels just like the umpteenth time in 19 video games this season — the Islanders did not put their foot down on a lead and paid the value as Andrei Kuzmenko scored the winner for Calgary within the expertise competitors.
“Third period, we had lots of great looks,” stated Noah Dobson, who hit the crossbar when the Islanders had a four-on-three energy play in additional time. “Just didn’t capitalize. Gotta find a way to get that second one and extend the lead when we have those one-goal leads.”
Not like two days prior in Seattle, the Islanders didn’t dominate a lot of the sport, however in a low-event match, they went into the third holding a 1-0 lead and taking part in sound hockey in entrance of Semyon Varlamov.
But it surely’s laborious to win video games 1-0 on this league, and the Islanders have been reminded of that to their very own detriment.
They lastly did get some offensive strain early within the third, however after Calgary netminder Dustin Wolf made a number of stops in a row, the worm began to show in opposition to the Islanders when Scott Mayfield dedicated a tripping penalty 6:32 into the third.
Rasmus Andersson transformed a power-play objective at 8:18, cashing in on prolonged strain that the Islanders couldn’t generate on both of their five-on-four probabilities earlier within the sport to tie it at one.
That was sufficient to ship it to additional time, with each groups buying and selling grade-A probabilities late in regulation.
Varlamov made an acrobatic save on Matthew Coronato and Nazem Kadri hit the put up at three-on-three, with the Islanders getting some frustration of their very own after Dobson hit the crossbar following Mikael Backlund’s tripping penalty.
Within the expertise competitors, Wolf stopped each pictures he noticed whereas Kuzmenko and Justin Kirkland each scored for Calgary to seal it.
“Power play in overtime, we had a great chance to finish the game,” Varlamov stated after a 30-save night. “It cost us the game.”
As for the shootout, the goalie didn’t wish to discuss it.
“Shootout is a shootout. What do you want me to say?” Varlamov stated. “There’s not much to say. We lost in a shootout.”
On an evening when Alexander Romanov returned to the lineup and Pierre Engvall continued his out-of-nowhere scorching streak by lashing a puck previous Wolf to provide them the lead 1:32 into the second interval, the Islanders will really feel they deserved extra.
An excessive amount of of this one, nevertheless, was spent on the again foot, with the Islanders repeatedly settling to flip pucks out and stay one other shift in opposition to a troublesome Calgary forecheck — and repeatedly icing the puck consequently.
Excessive-danger probabilities at five-on-five completed 12-7 within the Flames’ favor, per Pure Stat Trick, although the Islanders did certainly have the sting within the third interval, when Wolf made 13 of his 29 saves.
“We had our chances,” coach Patrick Roy stated. “I think we just didn’t finish. … I look at it like it’s a point and I wish we had one more point, but there’s nights like this.”
A number of too many nights than the Islanders ought to be comfy with.
