The Morning After: The Dreaded 3-Goal Lead Haunts The Isles Again

Hard To Believe Department: The dreaded three-goal lead haunts the Islanders again.

OY VEY!

Not again!

Yes, again.

"That Dreaded Three Goal Lead."

It's an expression invented years ago by this department after a loss to Washington. It was a joke then, but it stopped being a gag after that and certainly was not funny last night in the 4-3 overtime loss to Carolina at UBS Arena.

Jumping into a Trifecta of goals and then holding serve at 3-0 through 8:18 of the second period, the home skaters frittered it away at 15:26 of the third on a Visitor's power play and lost it in overtime on a Sebastian Aho wrister 1:14 into the extra session.

"It's frustrating," said Islanders captain Anders Lee, "and unsettling."

Mathew Barzal, who had a goal and an assist, put it another way.

"Losing this way is unfortunate because we lost a big point. We sat back in the third period and couldn't get the puck out of our zone."

By now, you deserve some good news. I got news for you, so here goes:

1. Despite the OT defeat, the Orange and Blue picked up a valuable point on playoff competitors, Philadelphia, Montreal, Florida and Ottawa. Each lost last night.

2. A good ten games into the season, the Isles only have two losses.

3. Barzal, Bo Horvat and Noah Dobson continue clicking on offense. Dobbie's offensive game is A-1. He scored his third goal of the season and 33rd of his career, tying Adrian Aucoin for 11th most in franchise history.

4. Simon Holmstrom's third goal of the season at 4:11 of he second period -- that made it a 2-0 game -- was a short hander.

But let's not kid ourselves, my good friends, we need glue, pals, we need big time glue. Seven of those ten games have been at home.

"We have to find a way to close out games," Dobson asserted.

Plus, they are blowing leads and the coaching staff still does not have an answer to the bottom pairing on defense-- and that hurts.

"We've got to make plays when we've got the puck on our stick," said coach Lane Lambert.

(Maven says "Good idea. And how about calling a timeout when his club still had a one-goal lead late in the third?")

One more thing: for the second time in his last three starts Ilya Sorokin made at least 44 saves. (Give the guy a break, guys, give the warrior a break.)

The Maven could say there's a "Carolina Curse" here. It carried over from Paul (I'm Retired) Stastny's OT killer last spring. (OK, I said it.)

A few final thoughts. When your club is outshot 48-25, chances are that even a Sorokin might lose.

"We'll find a way not to do this (blown three-goal lead) again," Barzal concluded.

Maven's Conclusion: "Good idea!"

(Next Up: Minnesota Wild, Tuesday night at UBS, 7:30 p.m.)