The New York Islanders did their best to mount a comeback against the Detroit Red Wings, but they came up short on Thursday night, falling 6-3 for their sixth straight loss.
The New York Islanders did their best to mount a comeback against the Detroit Red Wings, but they came up short on Thursday night, falling 6-3 for their sixth straight loss.
Here's how it happened:
The Islanders looked as strong in the first period as they had over their losing skid, moving as a five-man unit.
They outshot the Red Wings 9-7 and had chances to get on the board first, but failed to finish.
Bo Horvat had the best opportunity of the frame, missing a wide-open net on a cross-seam pass from Ryan Pulock.
The second period brought some goals with Detroit getting on the board first at the 11:15 mark.
After Bo Horvat missed the net off the rush, the puck came around the boards and with the Islanders defense, Ryan Pulock, pinching, Christan Fischer got in all alone on Ilya Sorokin, before sliding the puck through the legs:
But, the Islanders got the goal back just 2:10 later as Mike Reilly, from the 516 area code, beat James Reimer through the legs from just inside the Red Wings' blue line to tie the game at 1-1 at 13:25 of the second:
The goal was assisted by Kyle MacLean and Casey Cizikas.
Then the Islanders did what they've done too often this season.
They allowed two goals in 2:08 as they headed into the third period down 3-1.
First it was Anderw Copp burying a rebound at the blocker-side post after Sorokin stoned Fischer in the slot:
Then it was Dylan Larkin, in his return to the lineup, hammering home a slot pass from Alex DeBrincat after another defensive zone breakdown:
This was the 18th time this season, 12th time under Patrick Roy that the Islanders have allowed two or more goals in less than a six-minute span.
It's also the third straight road game they've allowed three goals in the second period and it's also three straight games allowing three goals in a period.
They've allowed 96 second-period goals, the most in the NHL.
The Red Wings added to their lead at 5:12 of the third, with Copp scoring his second of the game after four Islanders don't pick him up:
Patrick Kane made it a 5-1 game at 6:22 of the third after he finished off a 2-on-1 pass courtesy of DeBrincat, who blew by Robert Bortuzzo along the left wall before the strong assist:
The Isalnders did stop the bleeding, as Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored on the power play at 9:34 of the third, beating Reimer on the rebound for his ninth of the season:
Ryan Pulock and Pierre Engvall earned the assists.
Just 1:56 later, Mathew Barzal's shot deflected off a Red Wing in front to make it a 5-3 game at 11:20 of the third, with Adam Pelech and Anders Lee earning the assists.
That was Barzal's 21st goal of the season.
Larkin scored his second of the game at 16:25 of the third to make it a 6-3 game.
The Islanders have now been outscored 25-9 on their six-game losing streak and are now five points back of the Red Wings for the second wild-card spot with a game in hand.
UP NEXT: The Islanders host the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday at 1 PM ET.
LINES:
Brock Nelson - Bo Horvat - Kyle Palmieri
Anders Lee - Mathew Barzal - Hudson Fasching
Pierre Engvall - Jean-Gabriel Pageau - Simon Holmstrom
Kyle MacLean - Casey Cizikas - Cal Clutterbuck
Adam Pelech - Noah Dobosn
Alex Romanov - Ryan Pulock
Mike Reilly - Robert Bortuzzo
Ilya Sorokin
Semyon Varlamov