Good Morning, Islanders Country.
You can look at the Islanders through four games in a few ways.
The pessimist will say they lost three of their first four games and were shut out twice. The pessimist would be correct. The optimist will say they earned points in three of their first four games, and their best game was the one they didn’t. The optimist would also be accurate.
The Islanders lost 1-0 in St. Louis on Thursday night. This is their second OT loss this season, as that unnerving “loser point” trend has continued.
So, how should you feel about things? Somewhere in the middle.
“We had our chances to win that hockey game, said head coach Patrick Roy. “Three out of six [points] on the road, these are tough places to play, Dallas, Colorado and here. I’m not saying I’m satisfied with it, but when I look at that road trip, I’d take three out of six.”
The head coach would be right. You can’t be satisfied with the results, but you can honestly assess that the Islanders are playing well enough to win these games. The problem is that the inability to finish has plagued this team for years and likely will throughout this season. The good news is that Ilya Sorokin put together two straight stellar performances, and the team played well defensively during the road trip. There are things to build on as they return home on Saturday night and things to remain concerned about.
Let’s dive in.
🏒 IN SHORT: Jake Neighbours scored at 2:04 of overtime to give the St. Louis Blues a 1-0 win against the New York Islanders at Enterprise Center on Thursday. Neighbours was driving the net on a 3-on-1 rush and redirected a saucer pass from Philip Broberg inside the left post past Ilya Sorokin. Hofer made 34 saves for his second NHL shutout for St. Louis (3-2-0), which had lost two straight. Sorokin made 29 saves for the Isles (1-1-2), which was shut out twice during its three-game road trip (also a 3-0 loss to Dallas on Oct. 12). [NHL.com]
KEY MOMENT(s):
🔻 Bo Horvat hit the post, not once, but twice, and put the puck through the crease in another opportunity, part of a frustrating night for the center.
🔻 Early in the third period, the Isles came “this” close to taking the lead as Brock Nelson fluttered the puck toward the net where Maxim Tysplakov was at the top of the crease. The puck came free but alluded Kyle Palmieri’s stick.
🔻 On the OT winner, Neighbours was driving the net on a 3-on-1 rush and redirected a saucer pass from Philip Broberg inside the left post past Sorokin.
"Just a great read by 'Hof,'" Neighbours said of goalie Joel Hofer. "He's so good at playing the puck, and obviously he saw we had numbers up the ice and made a great play to 'Broby.' I just tried to drive through that defenseman. I think [Brandon Saad] was off my back side there, and 'Broby' made a great read and laid one in there for me.”
3 REACTIONS
❶ TIGHT GAME: "It felt like it was a very tight game," Islanders forward Jean-Gabriel Pageau said. "Both teams had good sticks and were playing hard. Hard to get to the net and the goalies were making the saves. I think everyone had that feeling from the start that it was a one-goal game.”
❷ HAD OUR CHANCES: "We had our chances, especially in the third period. A couple ones, I just couldn't believe they didn't (go) in, said Patrick Roy. “We didn't try to force the game. ... Overall, I thought we played very well defensively.”
❸ SHARE OF SUCCESS: “I thought we played very well defensively, and when we did not, Ilya made some key saves for us,” said Head Coach Patrick Roy. “Offensively, I thought we had our chances, and I do believe if we keep playing like this we’ll have our share of success.”
GAME IMPACT SCORE
⏭ NEXT UP: The Islanders return home to UBS Arena on Saturday night to take on the Montreal Canadiens. Face-off is scheduled for 7:00 PM EDT.
📊 STANDINGS:
📚 SOUND SMART: Per Eric Hornick in The Skinny, It was the first time since March 1, 1988, that an Isles-Blues game entered the third period scoreless; Billy Smith won that game 2-0. The Isles have been blanked in consecutive games played in St. Louis (4-0 on February 22, 2024).
🎥 ISLES REWIND: On October 18, 2010, John Tavares scored a power-play goal at 3:26 of overtime to lift the New York Islanders past the Maple Leafs 2-1 in Toronto. "I just put my head down and tried to shoot it as hard as I could," Tavares said. "I wasn't even sure it went in ... It was a great feeling."
Matt Moulson scored at 2:17 of the second period for a 1-0 lead. Dwayne Roloson made 29 saves. The win moved the Isles to 3-1-2 in the early season, but after winning their next game, they would go 14 straight without a win.
🎧 Weird Islanders: The Podcast! - Deron Quint “Mike and Dan kick off Season Four with their first actual former Islander, as defenseman Deron Quint joins them to discuss his five games with the team during their 2007 stretch run, his long hockey career in the NHL and overseas and his new second career. Quint was brought over from Europe by Garth Snow with the Islanders in desperate straights to make the playoffs. What followed was an incredible run that Quint remembers well and fondly as one of the most fun times of his hockey life.”
🔗 Patrick Roy not yet altering Islanders’ fourth line despite struggles by Ethan Sears, New York Post “But it sounds as though Patrick Roy will exercise patience with his fourth line after an underwhelming start from the trio. “Very happy with them,” Roy said before the Islanders faced St. Louis. “I love their energy. I love the way they play. And you know what, doesn’t matter which line [they’re against], I’m very comfortable with them on the ice.”
🔗 With Start Against Blues, Sorokin Passes Greiss For Fifth-Most Games Played In Franchise History by Stefen Rosner, The Hockey News “The puck has dropped in St. Louis, which means New York Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin has now appeared in his 194th career game. With this appearance, he now passes former Islanders netminder Thomas Greiss to sit alone for fourth in franchise history.”
And we leave you with this ….public skating is open once again at “The Park” at UBS Arena. You can get your tickets online HERE
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