Islanders News: The one thing they do with consistency
The Isles have scored one goal on 53 shots against Alex Lyon this season. | Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
I bet you don’t need to think too hard to get this one right. Sports are supposed to be an escape from your problems. I couldn’t wait to get away from it all and watch my Islanders last night for a few hours. I went to bed more mad than I was to start the night; I should’ve known better.
When the third period started, I thought the game had “2-1 OT loss” written across its forehead. When Detroit tied it, I said they would win in regulation, despite not scoring a goal for 55 minutes. I’m not proud to be right; I’ve just seen this movie before, like twenty times now. Alex Romanov’s stick breaking on the tying goal was unfortunate. But the Islanders were playing like they wanted to get to overtime despite having the lead.
They followed up one of their best performances of the season against Vancouver last Thursday—maybe it was just Vancouver deciding not to show up—by wasting three straight third-period leads, turning six points into one measly little one. They finished the trip 1-2-2 and now hold an absurd record of 7-8-5 at the quarter pole: That’s seven wins and 13 losses in 20 games, and they had the lead in several of those losses.
That is simply not good enough when you’re competing with the entire bottom of the conference for the second wild card; there’s some pretty good distance already between fourth and fifth in the Metro, and it looks like WC1 will be one of the top four in the Isles’ division. It would behoove them to avoid giving even one point to the Detroit Red Wings, one of the teams they’re battling. There’s still time for things to change, but we’ve watched the same crap since 2022-23. As Dan Saraceni would say, last night was just game 196 of 2022-23.
They are good enough to stay in games and make you think they have a chance, but they’re not good enough to pull away with any consistency. And it’s compounded by their clear mental block in holding leads, especially third-period leads, a block that grows exponentially with each game they do this. Is it the players? Coaching? Roster construction? I’m going to say all of the above.
Islanders News
About last night:
Last month, the Islanders allowed Detroit only 11 shots (but lost). Last night, they got outplayed but had the lead, and lost. So in the playoff race, Detroit got four points out of the teams’ games, and the Islanders got zero. [LHH]
They let another one get away, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, the one thing they’re consistent at. [Newsday]
I really hate when they say they need to “learn” from this when they’ve blown leads this many times. I don’t think it’s learning anymore; if it is, they’re a bunch of morons because they should have “learned” that lesson by now. [Islanders]
The headline writer snapped with this one: “Same disastrous recipe.” [NY Post]
“Can’t break the cycle.” [THN]
Pathetic: “This is the third time in less than a calendar year that the Isles have allowed a go-ahead goal in the last minute of regulation.” [NYI Skinny]
“0-for-7 in closing out third when having a one-goal lead.” Pathetic!
Through 20 games this season, #Isles have had 18 total leads, blowing 14 of them, losing six of those games (0-3-3). 2-3-3 when allowing tying goal. They are 0-for-7 in closing out third when having a one-goal lead.They've been outscored 29-19 in third periods this season.— Stefen Rosner (@stefen_rosner) November 22, 2024
Not about the game:
If they could score some damn goals, they’d probably avoid more of these losses. But their power play is abysmal. [NY Post]
Relatedly, the top six forward group has gone ice-cold after a nice start together. So much for the dilemma about breaking up the lines when Anthony Duclair and Mat Barzal return. [THN]
The Islanders scored five goals in Vancouver; they scored five total goals in the other four games on the trip. [THN]
Dennis Cholowski, who last night played his first game against the team that made him a first-round pick, has replaced Ryan Pulock on PP2, mostly because Pulock has been playing so many minutes in all other situations. [Newsday]
There’s still time before Adam Pelech resumes skating, but the Islanders will have to decide between Isaiah George and likely Cholowski when Pelech is back. [NY Post]
Elsewhere
Last night’s NHL scores include the Bruins beating Utah 1-0 in Joe Sacco’s first game as bench boss, the Devils earning a win over the Hurricanes, and the Rangers getting dominated by the Flames.
Why the Bruins fired Jim Montgomery, and what kind of players are available for trade. [Written 32 Thoughts]
Although it hasn’t helped Boston that they traded one of their goalies, and the one they kept missed training camp and has been a step behind. [Sportsnet]
Exploring the Calgary Flames, who have been a lot more successful this season than anyone imagined, and an interview with Ryan McDonagh about and for a good cause. [Audio 32 Thoughts]
Alex Ovechkin will miss 4-6 with a broken leg. It might be the most time he’ll ever miss with an injury. He’s been remarkably healthy throughout his career even though he drinks Coke on the bench during games. [NHL]
The Columbus Blue Jackets want a first-round pick for Ivan Provorov. Good luck with all that. [TSN]
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