Stefen Rosner on Morning Cuppa Hockey Talking Islanders After dropping their home opener against Utah on Thursday, the New York Islanders [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/] were shut out 3-0 by the Dallas Stars on Saturday night. Here’s the recap: From puck drop, the Islanders and Stars both established a tight-checking game. Rookie Maxim Tsyplakov was exceptionally physical while battling against Matt Dumba, who the Stars announced would not return after the first period. Tsyplakov took an interference minor against Evgenii Dadonov four minutes in, but the Islanders were able to kill the ensuing power play—a focal point from Thursday, where the Islanders went 0-for-2 on the penalty kill. The Stars got on the board first with 12:01 left in the first period after the Islanders’ top line got hemmed in their own zone. After Horvat failed to block a Mason Marchment pass to Tyler Seguin, Noah Dobson tried to make a play, screening Semyon Varlamov: The period finished with the Islanders up 12-6 in shots but with nothing to show for it. The momentum shifted in Dallas' favor to open the second period. The Islanders were outshot 8-1 in the first five minutes, and zone exit turnovers were all too common. With 12:43 to play in the second, the Stars were caught with too many men on the ice, and the Islanders received their first-man advantage of the game. However, the power play woes continued, with Anthony Duclair having to stop a Stars' shorthanded 2-on-1 chance after a Noah Dobson turnover. The second line of Brock Nelson, Kyle Palmieri, and Tsyplakov provided the Islanders’ best offense in the middle frame. Palmieri was especially noticeable, putting the body on the line to drive to the net on multiple occasions. However, it was the second line that made a mistake, leading to Jamie Benn’s 2-0 dagger after Palmieri tried to quickly get the puck to Tsyplakov, who overskated the rubber, giving Benn a wide-open chance, sending the puck over Varlamov’s blocker and in with 9:02 to play in the second: The Islanders resumed their offensive push after Benn’s tally but could not convert as Scott Mayfield hit the crossbar and Nelson missed a tap-in from the blue paint. Oliver Wahlstrom took an offensive zone-tripping penalty at 15:41, but the Islanders kill came out on top again to prevent the deficit from growing larger. The Islanders and Stars finished the second with a combined 22 giveaways, and shots evened at 19 apiece. In the third period, the Islanders came out flying, with eight shots to the Stars' zero through the opening five minutes. The Islanders looked like a new team, getting shots and getting traffic in front of goal, but they failed to bury on their chances. With 4:17 to play in the third, Islanders head coach Patrick Roy pulled Varlamov for the extra attacker. Seguin buried on the empty net with 1:03 to play in the third to push their lead to 3-0. Varlamov stopped 24 of 26, with Oettinger stopping all 33 shots that came his way for the shutout. TOP STORIES
