Good Morning, Islanders Country.
The Islanders looked about as good as they could last night, and everyone got to watch it since it was on ESPN+! They played a fast, entertaining hockey game against one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference and still lost.
That’s how it goes and has been going for some time. What is the biggest issue(s) for the team? You can make an exhaustive, granular list of things, from special teams and line combinations to overworked goaltenders and assistant coaches.
You can make a short list that starts with Lou Lamoriello and ownership and is followed closely by Patrick Roy, the head coach, who is unable to simultaneously push enough right buttons to change the course of the season.
“I have nothing to support what I’m going to say, but we’re playing good hockey,” said Roy after last night’s 2-1 loss to Toronto.
That’s the company line right now. “I have no complaints other than not scoring goals. If we get those goals, it’ll turn around for us; I still believe in that,” added Roy. While there is some truth to that, they can’t score big goals and are historically bad special teams. They are 0-for-20 on the power play over their last 10 games and have allowed a power-play goal in eight straight games.
The Isles are good enough to stay in games and, somehow, for the time being, within striking distance of a playoff spot. They’re also in last place in the Metro and have the fifth-worst points percentage in the NHL. That’s the reality.
The Isles may be working and playing hard, but the wins are not there to show for it. The head coach and players may try to stay positive, but if you can’t complain about the end results as a fan, what can you complain about?
Let’s dive in.
🏒 IN SHORT: Bobby McMann scored twice, including the tiebreaking goal late in the third period, and the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the New York Islanders 2-1 on Thursday night. Joseph Woll stopped 32 shots as the Maple Leafs topped the Islanders for the second time this week and won for the third time in four games. Scott Mayfield scored for New York, and Ilya Sorokin made 29 saves in the Islanders' third straight loss [ESPN]
KEY MOMENT(s):
🔷 Trailing 1-0, Scott Mayfield took a cross-ice feed from Mathew Barzal and fired off a shot just in time that went over Woll’s blocker to tie the game.
🔻 Adam Pelech took a tripping penalty late, giving Toronto an opportunity with the man advantage. Oliver Ekman-Larsson’s shot deflected off the boards setting up McMann for his second of the game for the game-winner.
3 REACTIONS
❶ WINS & LOSSES: "I think right now I'd take a horrible game out of our team to win a hockey game. That's really the only thing that matters right now - wins & losses. We are playing good hockey, just hard getting over the line right now"
❷ HAD LOOKS: “We had looks, I thought our effort was there all night,” Anders Lee said. “It was a good hockey game, we’ve put a couple together here and have come away with zero points… we have to stick with it but it was a 60-minute effort for both teams. Let’s build off that and get back at it in a couple [days].”
❸ DIFFICULT TO PLAY AGAINST: “I liked our game. I thought we played with a lot of pace tonight,” Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube said. “It was a hard game. I thought the Islanders were good. I thought they were difficult to play against, but I thought we did a good job. Our goalie was good. The first period, we gave up some chances off three odd-man rushes, and he was there.”
GAME IMPACT SCORE
⏭ NEXT UP: The Islanders will be in Boston on Sunday night for a battle against the Bruins at TD Garden. Face-off is set for 6:00 PM EST.
📊 STANDINGS:
📰 NEWS: The Islanders were again without forward Simon Holmstrom, who missed his second consecutive game with a lower-body injury. Semyon Varlamov skated for the first time since his injury, and defenseman Mike Reilly joined his teammates again at the morning skate, but there’s no timetable for his return.
Head Shot
In the second period, 20-year-old defenseman Isaiah George took an elbow to the chin from Max Domi and headed off the ice, contributing to the Leafs’ first goal of the game. George left for the dressing room, went into concussion protocol, and did not return. Roy did not have an update on his status after the game.
“It didn't seem legal to me. Obviously, it looks like he got an elbow to the chin,” said Hudson Fasching. “That was our take on it. We weren't very happy about it. We thought should have been a penalty.”
Rocky Return
The plan was for Anthony Duclair to be a difference-maker. Signed this summer, the former All-Star added a 20-25 goal pedigree to a team that always needs more scoring. Duclair was going to play with Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat to form a formidable first line, and then, five games into the season, the injury happened.
Duclair has one goal and two assists since returning to the lineup on Dec. 21, but he’s still working his way back, just not as fast as he’d hoped. “Sometimes, you need to be patient,” head coach Patrick Roy said. “He hadn’t skated for over six weeks. But he needs to clean up a few things and he’ll be fine.”
Duclair hasn’t been reunited with Horvat and Barzal, as Roy has elected to go with other line combinations. That’s just one of the adjustments the 29-year-old has had to make since returning from his groin injury.
“I’m gonna be feeling [the injury] for a little bit — I’m definitely, obviously, good enough to play,” Duclair told The New York Post. “For me, it’s just getting my timing back, trying to create some chemistry with some guys. Obviously, playing with some different linemates. Just trying to find my rhythm, to be honest. Just being more confident with the puck in battles and stuff like that.”
Teammate Tiff
If you haven’t heard, the relationship between prolific Vancouver Canuck teammates JT Miller and Elias Pettersson is fractured, with some believing that one of them may be on the move before not too long.
It's unlikely that the Isles would be a trade partner for either, but Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News tracked down Bo Horvat to get some intel on the Vancouver environment and his thoughts on his two former teammates.
◾️ COMES WITH THE TERRITORY: “It's definitely [been blown out of proportion]," said Horvat on Thursday. "It's always a tough market that way. Any little piece of information gets magnified in those situations, right? But I mean, that comes with the territory. It comes with playing there.”
◾️ BOTH SIDES OF IT: "Unfortunately, you're gonna be on both sides of it, right? It's not always gonna be sunshine and rainbows. There's not always gonna be good things said. It's gotta be a tricky situation. It's gotta be tough. But if any two guys, or if anybody can handle it, those guys can."
📚 SOUND SMART: Per Eric Hornick in The Skinny, the Isles have not won consecutive home games this season; it is the first time since the shortened 2013 season that they have played 18 home games without consecutive home wins. The Isles are 0-6-1 in the home game following a home win this season; they have alternated regulation losses and regulation wins in their last nine home games.
🎥 ISLES REWIND: The 1980 U.S. hockey team played a total of 61 pre-Olympic games, beginning in Europe on Sept. 3, 1979, and ending on Feb. 9, 1980, at MSG in New York. That last game vs. the Russians is well-documented, as Team USA was soundly defeated 10-3, but on Jan. 3, 1980, the Islanders’ minor league affiliate, the Indianapolis Checkers and Team USA skated to a 2-2 tie.
🔗 Former Canucks Captain, Islanders Forward Bo Horvat On Pettersson & Miller Rift by Stefen Rosner, The Hockey News “There's a rift going on inside the Vancouver Canucks locker room between J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson. The team has tried to put a lid on it, but the Canadian media and NHL insiders have commented on its toxicity and effect on Vancouver as a whole.”
🔗 Islanders in tricky Anthony Duclair spot with season at critical point by Ethan Sears, New York Post “Anthony Duclair has been through enough injuries to know it rarely is a smooth process to return midseason. While rehabbing the suspected groin injury that kept him out for two months, he was told it would take time before things felt completely normal.”
And we leave you with this ….Cole Eiserman is licking his chops (and his stick) as Team USA defeated Switzerland and advanced to the World Juniors semi-finals.
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