The Islanders' five-game point streak comes to an end with the loss. The team’s record drops to 5-3-3. It was another game where the Islanders had a lead, this time just one goal, and let it slip away.
The Islanders' five-game point streak comes to an end with the loss. The team’s record drops to 5-3-3. It was another game where the Islanders had a lead, this time just one goal, and let it slip away.
ELMONT, NY - A 42-second stretch in the third period doomed the New York Islanders as they fell 4-2 to the Minnesota Wild. It was another game where the Islanders had a lead, this time just one goal, and let it slip away.
The Islanders' five-game point streak comes to an end with the loss. The team’s record drops to 5-3-3.
Semyon Varlamov made 27 saves on 31 shots against. His long shutout streak came to an end very early in this game and now moves to 2-2-0 on the season.
Marc-Andre Fleury got the win for the Wild making 26 saves on 28 Islander shots.
Special teams were a big momentum shifter tonight, as on the power play, the Islanders went just 1-for-5. The Wild were only 1-for-4 on the power play but got the game-winner with the man advantage.
Pat Maroon got the scoring started just 19 seconds into the game, ending Varlamov’s shutout streak at 137:39. Joel Eriksson Ek found Maroon at the bottom of the circle from behind the net, and he buried it.
Noah Dobson stayed hot, scoring in his second straight game, as he tied the score up at one with exactly nine minutes to go in the first period. Dobson stepped into a slapshot on the half-wall and wired it on the short side past Fleury. For Dobson, it’s his fourth goal of the year. Cizikas and Clutterbuck collected assists.
On the Islanders' third power play of the game, Oliver Wahlstrom scored his first goal of the season off a beautiful move. Wahlstrom received a pass from Pierre Engvall entering the zone wide before cutting in tight and putting the puck in the top corner of the net 8:34 into the second period. Sebastian Aho added his second assist this season.
Vinni Letteri tied the game 2-2 with a long-range point shot. Varlamov was screened on the play with bodies in front of him, and he struggled to see the puck as it went past him. The goal came at 12:03, and it was assisted by Matt Boldy and Brock Faber.
It was all even after two periods but with the Islanders taking control of the momentum towards the end of the second. The Islanders spent a lot of time in the offensive zone but were unable to score any goals during that stretch.
The Wild were able to re-take the lead, 3-2, with a power play goal 6:49 into the third period. Kirill Kaprizov one-timed a shot high from the circle, and it went off of Varlamov’s glove and into the net.
Just 42 seconds later, the Wild were able to capitalize on a turnover and double their lead to 4-2 when Eriksson Ek scored his seventh goal of the season.
For the Islanders, it is another disappointing loss at home, where they had a lot of offensive chances they could not capitalize on. Defensively New York was solid, aside from the penalties they committed and the brief lapse that sunk them in the final frame.
LINEUP:
Anders Lee - Mathew Barzal - Oliver Wahlstrom
Pierre Engvall - Brock Nelson - Kyle Palmieri
Simon Holmstrom - Jean-Gabriel Pageau - Hudson Fasching
Matt Martin - Casey Cizikas - Cal Clutterbuck
Adam Pelech - Noah Dobson
Alexander Romanov - Ryan Pulock
Sebastian Aho - Scott Mayfield
Semyon Varlamov
Ilya Sorokin
UP NEXT: The Islanders ship up to Boston to face the Bruins on Thursday night at 7:30 PM.
Brendan Yerkes contributed to this story.