The New York Islanders had a chance to sit two points back of a wild-card spot if they could beat a weak Anaheim Ducks team.
But, instead of rising to the occasion, they fell flat on their face, falling 4-1 on Sunday night to remain four points back.
Marcus Hogberg made his first start since Jan. 25 due to a finger injury. Kyle MacLean didn't play due to illness, with defenseman Adam Boqvist playing as the fourth-line center.
Defenseman Scott Mayfield drew back in.
Here's how the game unfolded:
The Islanders struggled mightily with their fundamentals in the first period. They struggled to break out, turning the puck over often. They collapsed on Hogberg, making things tougher for him and they also were a few steps behind Anaheim.
The Ducks scored first, with Sam Colangelo potting a goal for the fourth straight game at 17:52 of the first. After Noah Dobson stepped to Colangelo at the Islanders' blue line, he quickly got rid of the puck before getting it back, unguarded for a smart finish, waiting out Hogberg:
The Islanders found themselves down 2-0 at 14:56 of the second, after Drew Helleson's point shot found its way off the glove-side post and in:
The Islanders needed a strong start in the third and had a glorious shorthanded rush to begin the third, but Adam Pelech missed the net.
Then, Mason McTavish came down the other way on a 2-on-1, sniping Hogberg blocker side after Scott Mayfield didn't step to him:
While on the power play, Adam Boqvist tried to feed Noah Dobson at the point but the pass didn't connect.
Jansen Hawkins jumped on the puck, before he was taken down by Dobson, leading to a penalty shot. Hogberg made the stop, denying the five-hole try at 3:17 of the third to keep his team only down 3-0.
Head coach Patrick Roy then did what Roy has done when his team hasn't produced enough chances and the game is out of reach:
And it backfired soon after, with Colangelo scoring on the empty net at 8:18 of the third.
The Islanders did ruin Lukas Dostal's shutout, with Tony DeAngelo beating him high blocker side at 15:10 of the third:
The Elmonters (@TheElmonters) on X
#Isles get on the board. Tony Deangelo.
4:50 to go in the third, down 4-1.
That's as close as the Islanders would get, falling 4-1.
They did get more chances late in the third period, but they just were not good enough early and that paid dividends.
UP NEXT: The Islanders head to Los Angeles to face the Kings on Tuesday night at 10:30 ET.