Islanders Fall 1-0 to Flyers Injuries to top defenders, Adam Pelech and Sebastian Aho, were shrugged off on Friday night in Ottawa but not last night at UBS Arena. Still, the point gained by the New York Islanders [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/game-day/new-york-islanders-mike-reilly-adam-pelech-sebastian-aho] in a four-man 1-0 shootout loss to Philadelphia was not totally pointless. But it still hurts because the entire script still doesn't figure now -- nor did it then. If anything, the weary -- overworked in Ottawa -- Isles defense figured to be blown apart in Elmont. Yet, the Orange and Blue emerged with a 40-save, Ilya Sorokin shutout; his 18th career blank job. If anything, Sorokin did not figure to be beaten by Samuel Ersson, a third-string goalkeeper who, in the past, had only shown flashes of brilliance. If anything, at least Bo Horvat, Oliver Wahlstrom, Mat Barzal or Kyle Palmieri figured to beat Ersson in the shootout. If anything, the winning goal should not have been scored by a fifth-string right-wing named Tyson Foerster. That said, he surgically beat Ilya, starting down the left lane before ultimately slipping the six-ounce hunk of vulcanized rubber between Sorokin's legs. Ugh! And, maybe -- just maybe -- the home team would make good on one of their three power plays. But, as we sadly note, that was not to be while Philly's suddenly fabulous Foerster finally beat Sorokin, who, typically, came through regulation time with 40 saves. That said -- and with The Maven's 20-20 hindsight -- I'm left wondering why sharpshooting Brock Nelson failed to crack the lineup of four Shootout specialists chosen by coach Lane Lambert. (But, what's done is done, right? Right!) No less notable are some lessons learned from the one-pointer. To wit: 1. Flyers Threat: Picked to finish last in the Met Division; Philly most certainly will not. 2. Islanders Challenge: The Broad Streeters have been smartly shaped up by John Tortorella who's weaving straw into gold. Keep an eye on Philly from here on. 3. Dates of recovery for Aho and Pelech will go a long way to determining the Isles finish in April. Over the last four games, the Isles have collected seven points. And over the last two games with Philly, they've managed three points. Not too bad! Next stop, Newark, on Tuesday for the challenging Devils led by Jack and Luke Hughes!
