Good Morning, Islanders Country, and Happy Veterans Day 🇺🇸
There was no come-from-behind magic this time. Nope. Not on this night.
“You can’t score if you don’t hit the net. That’s the bottom line.” - Lane Lambert
The Isles had 24 shots on goal and 23 that missed the net. If that wasn’t frustrating enough, another 17 were blocked.
Arizona, now winners of the first three games of their 14-game road trip, played a solid away game, but the Islanders had their chances, and it was either themselves or the Coyotes getting in their way.
"We've scored lots of big goals in the past few games," Noah Dobson said. "Obviously, we didn't get any tonight, but we had lots of looks, lot of zone time, so I think it's been positive. We just got to keep turning that way."
The end result was giving back the two points they stole at MSG two days earlier and being shut out for the second time this season. They’ll look to find the net and the win column on Saturday night can CBJ.
Coming up, the Islanders Way is now on display, and wearing the fisherman jersey was a dream come true for Fichaud. Plus, the Isles explode for six against Varly on Veterans Day, and if you think Ilya is better than Igor, you can now wear your opinion.
Let’s dive in.
🏒 IN SHORT: Travis Boyd broke a scoreless tie with a power play goal one minute into the third period as the Arizona Coyotes (6-6-1) shut out the Islanders 2-0 at UBS Arena on Thursday night. Karel Vejmelka recorded his first shutout of the year, making 24 saves in the win for Arizona, which has won three straight and is 5-2-1 in its past eight games. Ilya Sorokin made 27 saves for the Islander (9-6-0), who had won seven of eight and two straight before Thursday’s loss. Jack McBain scored an empty net goal with 31 seconds left for Arizona.
KEY MOMENT(s):
🔻 With Josh Bailey in the box, Travis Boyd scored a power-play goal 1:00 into the third period, ending Ilya Sorokin’s career-long shutout streak against the Coyotes at 161:00. The Isles have allowed seven power-play goals in the last seven games after being perfect on the penalty kill in the first eight games this season.
🔻 Vejmelka misplayed the puck behind the net, and it almost resulted in a tie game. Casey Cizikas tied the goaltender up behind the net and was able to push the forward toward Matt Martin, who had his stick tied up at the last second.
3 REACTIONS
❶ ALMOST SURPRISED: “I think it’s the first goal we scored against him in two years. So we were almost surprised when the puck went in. We didn’t know this guy could give up a goal. He’s really good. We needed a really good play to beat him.” - Coyotes head coach Andre Tourigny on Ilya Sorokin
❷ NEED ONE TO FALL: "I try to score every game, every shift. As long as the play is there and the impact is there, it's tough to be frustrated. So yeah, just need one to fall. It'll come." - Mathew Barzal
❸ THEY CAN MAKE PLAYS: “We had a chance to clear and we didn't get it out. They made a real nice play to the backdoor, their power play is third in the league. They can make plays. (Clayton) Keller made a nice pass across the crease, and there was nothing our goaltender could do about it." - Lane Lambert
⏭ NEXT UP: The Islanders will aim to get back in the win column on Saturday night when they host Johnny Gaudreau and the Columbus Blue Jackets. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 PM
📊 STANDINGS:
📰 NEWS: Cal Clutterbuck returned to the lineup after missing the Rangers game and leaving Monday’s game against the Calgary Flames in the first period. “I feel good,” Clutterbuck said.
“It will be with me through the season, but it shouldn’t be a problem. It’s nothing serious.” The 34-year-old, in his first year of a two-year extension, said the injury was not related to his shoulder, which ended his season a year ago in March.
◾️ As Clutterbuck returned, one of his Identity Line teammates exited early. Casey Cizikas went to the locker room during the third period after taking a shoulder to the head following a defensive-zone faceoff. There was no update from Lane Lambert following the game on his status or whether his removal was due to the concussion spotter checking him out.
🚏 ISLANDERS WAY: On Thursday morning, Jon Ledecky and Sparky were among other dignitaries that helped unveil “NY Islanders Way” outside of UBS Arena. The newly unveiled street sign runs along the Silver, Diamond, and Ruby lots as they approach UBS Arena.
"The naming of New York Islanders Way during the Islanders’ 50th anniversary season is the latest illustration of the great partnership between the Islanders, UBS Arena, and the Town of Hempstead," Islanders Co-Owner Jon Ledecky said.
The phrase “The Islander Way” became popular during Barry Trotz’s tenure, and the organization decided to play on that with the name rather than pay tribute to one of their Hall-of-Fame players/coaches. We think a more substantial honor could be bestowed on those Islanders legends at a later time down the road.
🎣 FOND OF FISHERMAN: On November 15th, the 2022 Reverse Retro return of the Fisherman jersey will hit Isles Lab shelves at UBS Arena. While the jersey has a polarizing effect amongst the fans, NewYorkIslanders.com, caught up with one of the players synonymous with the Fisherman jersey and logo, and one that is fond of it - Eric Fichaud.
"When I see the Fisherman, it represents all the good times that I had with the Islanders, even if I wish we would have won more games than we did," Fichaud said. "For me, just being in the NHL was a dream come true."
🧗 CLIMBING: The Islanders continue to move up in NHL dot coms Super 16, climbing eight spots from 14th overall to sixth in the latest release. That puts them ahead of a number of Stanley Cup favorites, including the Colorado Avalanche, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Toronto Maple Leafs.
This is from our old friend, NHL.com Managing Editor Brian Compton:
"If you paid close attention last season, you know goaltending didn't play a role in the Islanders' failure to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Ilya Sorokin has picked up where he left off and, to me, is the MVP for New York over the first month of the season. He is among the NHL leaders in save percentage (.933) and wins (six) and has made at least 39 saves in three of his first nine starts. If the Islanders find their way into the postseason, Sorokin will be the biggest reason why. He's a bona fide star."
📚 SOUND SMART: Per Eric Hornick in The Skinny, the Islanders had 23 missed shots - tied for the 6th-most in club history since the NHL started keeping the stat in 2005. The club record is 31, set on 3/25/2007 vs. the NYR.
The loss was the Islanders' first to a Western Conference opponent after six straight victories to start this season.
🗓 THIS DATE OF ISLANDERS HISTORY: On November 11, 2014, Nick Leddy and Anders Lee scored early, and Jaroslav Halak stopped 20 shots for his second straight shutout as the Islanders routed the Colorado Avalanche 6-0 on Veterans Day at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The Isles put 46 shots on goal against Avs goalie Semyon Varlamov that night for their fourth straight win. "We're creating good habits," Islanders coach Jack Capuano said. "Our attention to detail was really good. I was impressed that we stayed with it all night."
🎧 Hockey Night in New York - The Great Howie Rose!: Legendary Broadcaster & former Islanders play-by-play man Howie Rose joined Sean Cuthbert & Chris Botta to look back on his days in the Isles broadcast booth! Howie shared some great stories involving Bryan Trottier, Butch Go ring, Al Arbour & more as he recalled some of his fondest memories with the Isles.
📺Deckhands: An Islanders Prospect Channel w/ Michel Anderson: Call ups, when will they happen? “Mich is often asked this question: ‘when will the Islanders call up [player X]?’ So here's the answer. He also breaks down who might get said call-up by position from wingers, to centers, to defensemen and even goalies.”
🔗 NY Islanders Prospect Report: Week of 10/31-11/6, by Michael Stahurski, Eyes on Isles: “As the NY Islanders continued their hot streak of play, winning seven of the last eight games, the Bridgeport Islanders also remained red-hot in the AHL. What's been deemed a weak prospect pool seems to be becoming more and more attractive as the weeks roll on.”
And we leave you with this …. continuing his endless endeavor just to be right about something, former NHLer Ryan Whitney is doubling down on his belief that Ilya Sorokin is the superior goaltender to his friend and cross-town rival, Igor Shesterkin. So much so that they’ve printed the shirts. ⬇️
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