The New York Islanders went 1-3 in their four games played this week. They suffered home losses against the Hurricanes and Devils as well as a road loss to the Red Wings. Their only win of the week came at home against the Jets. The team has a 30-26-15 record with 75 total points, a total that keeps them several points out of a playoff spot. 

Lifeless Effort Leads to a Loss to the Hurricanes

The Islanders losing streak continued into this week of play as they suffered a 4-1 home loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. In a season that’s seen its fair share of bad games, this might rank as one of the worst. The scoreboard doesn’t show it, but the Islanders were completely dominated by the Hurricanes in this game. They had little to no time to work in the offensive zone and were constantly being pressured by the opposition. 

Most of the damage was done in the first period, a period the Islanders had been playing well in leading up to this game. Seth Jarvis got the first goal after picking up a loose puck up front and getting it through Ilya Sorokin’s pads. Jarvis struck again two minutes later, as Jake Guentzel set him up with a perfect back pass. Martin Necas capped off the scoring with a buzzer-beating power play goal to end the first. The Islanders managed to finally get one back in the third period when Kyle Palmieri cleaned up a rebounded shot from Brock Nelson. They attempted to empty their net to try and steal this game, but it was to no avail. Guentzel scored the empty net goal to cement the Islanders fifth straight loss. 

Playoff Hopes Dampened in Loss to Red Wings

In an important matchup in regards to playoff positioning, the Islanders suffered yet another loss against the Detroit Red Wings. They had played in a tightly knit, scoreless game up until the latter half of the second period. It was then that Christian Fischer put the Red Wings on top on a breakaway attempt. However, the Islanders were quick with an answer as Mike Reilly scored the game-tying goal from the point. The turning point of this game occurred at the 16 minute mark of the period, when Andrew Copp scored the go-ahead goal on a rebound. Then, Dylan Larkin scored in his return from injury to put the Red Wings up by two heading into the third.

Their momentum continued into the final period, with Copp getting his second of the game just five minutes in. Patrick Kane scored the Red Wings’ fourth straight goal on a two-on-one to put the Red Wings up by four. Facing a big deficit, the Islanders began to show some resilience. J.G. Pageau stopped the scoring run by picking up a rebound and scoring a power play goal. Mat Barzal then cut the lead to two at the 11:20 mark with a shot from the right circle. For a second straight game, they emptied their net while down two, but again it was unsuccessful. Larkin scored his second goal of the game with an empty netter to put this one away. The 6-3 loss marked the Islanders sixth in a row, which may prove consequential to their slim playoff chances.

Offensive Eruption Results in a Big Win Over the Jets

After losing six straight, the Islanders came out with a big win against the Jets during a Saturday matinee at UBS Arena. The big offensive effort was sparked by Cal Clutterbuck, who scored the first two goals of the game for the Islanders. Vladislav Namestikov cut into the two-goal lead after getting a good one-on-one look against Semyon Varlamov. But Palmieri continued his great month of March and restored the two-goal lead to end the first period. 

In what has often been the Islanders’ worst period, they completely owned the second period in this game. Hudson Fasching opened scoring with a prime opportunity in the low slot to increase the lead to three. Barzal then got a goal of his own up close to make it a 5-1 game and chase Connor Hellebuyck out of the game. Anders Lee added an additional goal against Laurent Brossoit to put the Islanders up by five. The third period was a bit of a mess, as the Islanders were outshot by a wide margin. Luckily, the only damage done was a pair of goals from Mason Appleton and Cole Perfetti. Varlamov played an otherwise solid period and helped lead the team to a 6-3 victory that ended the extended losing streak.

Shut Out By the Devils

After a resurgent win over the Jets, the Islanders were shut out in a game against the Devils. The power play unit continued to have a tough go of it, as they went scoreless in five total opportunities. Also hindering their offensive effort was the stellar play of Kaapo Kahkonen, who made all 36 saves in net.

As has become very common this season, the biggest trouble came in the second period. Timo Meier scored the first goal, capitalizing on an extended Devils power play chance that emanated from the first period. In the most embarrassing moment of the game, three Islanders players collided, resulting in a two-on-one chance for the Devils in which Jack Hughes scored. Alexander Holtz scored the third and final Devils goal of the period after Simon Nemec set him up for a one-timer. The Islanders emptied their net in the third period to try and cut into the three-goal deficit, but had no better luck. Chris Tierney scored the empty netter to finalize a 4-0 Islanders loss at home. 

3 Stars of the Week

1. Mat Barzal (2 goals, 2 assists)

2. Cal Clutterbuck (2 goals in win over Jets)

3. Kyle Palmieri (2 goals)

Featured image courtesy of NHL.com

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• Source: https://thegamehaus.com/nhl/new-york-islanders-weekly-recap-week-22/2024/03/26/