For all of the speak about a brand new approach of enjoying and a revitalized mindset on offense, the Islanders offered a reminder of the plain Thursday night time: This can be a workforce that can go solely so far as goaltender Ilya Sorokin can take it.
However in a 4-1 loss to the Devils, which dropped the Islanders to 2-2 to complete their season-opening homestand, Sorokin equipped a reminder as properly: He can’t do all the things by himself.
“I wasn’t pleased with the compete degree,” coach Lane Lambert mentioned bluntly. On an evening on which his workforce was outshot 43-17, he had good motive for that.
It took 15 pictures, not less than in line with the beneficiant rely of the UBS Enviornment scorekeeper, and greater than a interval of completely dominant hockey for the Devils to get one by Sorokin, who managed to play hero for a good portion of the night time.
However when Jack Hughes bought in behind the Islanders’ protection at 1:35 of the second interval, the scoresheet lastly mirrored actuality, and the Devils took a 1-0 lead.
A greater effort from the Islanders might need resulted in Sorokin, who completed the night time with 37 saves on 40 pictures, stealing a sport for them. As an alternative, the Islanders had been left within the acquainted place of lamenting a failure to play to the extent of their goalie.
“He was excellent,” Mathew Barzal mentioned. “Genuinely simply wonderful. In all probability may’ve been 3-0 after the primary.”
It was the Islanders’ worst efficiency of the younger season by an extended shot. They didn't play on the identical velocity because the Devils, battling defensive-zone lapses on the uncommon events they possessed the puck. Sorokin was maybe the one Islander who didn't battle, however he may solely achieve this a lot.
Ondrej Palat added a second objective for the Devils at 8:09 of the second interval, one-timing a cross from Jesper Bratt to beat Sorokin after sustained New Jersey strain. If there have been a reprieve coming for the house workforce, it might need been at 14:37 when Brendan Smith was referred to as for tripping, however Anders Lee negated the ultimate 41 seconds of what had been a principally uninspiring energy play along with his second minor penalty of the night at 15:56.
“Didn’t get our sport going,” Lee mentioned. “Didn’t get our legs going sufficient. An excessive amount of time in our finish.”
It was simply that type of night time. In opposition to the Devils, whose greatest difficulty is goaltending, the Islanders pressured Mackenzie Blackwood to make simply 16 saves. The lone Islanders objective was a comfort tally by Lee with an additional attacker on and three:16 left within the sport.
Palat had added a 3rd objective for the Devils simply over a minute earlier, beating Sorokin off the frenzy and prompting an already-sparse crowd to move in the direction of the exits. Nico Hischier’s empty-netter made it 4-1 within the last minute.
“It was extraordinarily, extraordinarily disappointing,” Lambert mentioned.
If the Islanders take that effort to Florida, the place they are going to play the Lightning and Panthers in a weekend back-to-back, will probably be an extended 48 hours down south.
Of their uncommon good moments on Thursday, the Islanders managed to generate some probabilities once they bought on the forecheck. Truly attending to that time was the issue.
“They got here down exhausting on the partitions and so they had been on high of us,” Lee siad. “We bought the puck out of the zone, nevertheless it’s not with possession. We spit it out and so they’re proper again down our throats.”
After sturdy performances towards the Sharks and Geese, this put a damper on what had been a optimistic week.
“We had carried out plenty of good issues within the final couple video games,” Lambert mentioned. “Tonight was a troublesome night time for everybody.”
Whether or not it was merely a foul night time or a sport that portends actual points, solely time will inform. Sorokin can get the Islanders locations, however not with out a complete lot extra help than he had on Thursday.
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