UNIONDALE, N.Y. — Monday night’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins had just about everything you could have asked for from and Islanders-Penguins matchup. There was drama, physicality, a lively crowd, impressive saves and a few goals.
Unfortunately for the Islanders and their fans, the one thing that was missing was a winning result as the home side fell to the visitors 2-1 in the shootout.
“It’s a 1-1 hockey game against a good hockey team that ends in a shootout,” Anders Lee said after the loss. “That’s how close it was tonight and it came down to that extra period after overtime. Yeah, it’s tough when you have a lead going into the third period, but hold those guys to one goal and for the most part we played a pretty good hockey game.
“It obviously stings we don’t get that extra point.”
It was an early miscue in the third period that cost the Islanders the lead. A failed attempt to clear the puck by Scott Mayfield and then Ryan Pulock allowing his man to get a shot off from the side of the net led to Derick Brassard tying the game at one.
The Islanders had captured the 1-0 advantage at 6:32 of the second period off a goal from Anthony Beauvillier, who finished on an impressive passing play by Barzal and Bailey.
[protected-iframe id=”0f657c0db3975949b6612c8a86651a37-142507471-9559664″ info=”https://www.nhl.com/video/embed/beauvillier-opens-the-scoring/t-300008272/c-63832003?autostart=false” width=”540″ height=”315″]“I thought the first couple periods were okay,” Islanders coach Barry Trotz said. “Third period I didn’t like. We turned a couple pucks over that we didn’t need to. Just recognizing those situations, we didn’t do a good enough job there.”
The Islanders had been hoping to use Saturday’s win over Detroit as a springboard heading into Monday’s game with the Penguins. Pittsburgh had handed the Isles a 6-2 loss in their previous meeting last Thursday.
However, the Islanders missed several opportunities as the power play failed to convert on four opportunities. The Islanders had three man-advantages alone in the first period and a power-play chance 2:12 into the overtime period.
Penguins starter Casey DeSmith even lost his stick at one point during the overtime power play.
“When you get that opportunity at that point in the game that’s how you dictate a game, and we weren’t able to do that,” Ryan Pulock said. “We just learn from that situation, work on it and when we get that chance again, find a way to get it done.”
[lawrence-related id=864369,864540]Monday’s game took a physical turn as the night progressed, which included a sequence of events in the third that saw Thomas Hickey take a puck to the face and then seconds later had Kris Letang and Cal Clutterbuck going at it, and then saw the Isles fourth liner crumpled in pain on the ice.
Barry Trotz did not have any update on the injured Isles players — Hickey did return to the Islanders bench in the third — which also included Jordan Eberle suffering an undisclosed injury in the third period.
“We were all chomping at the bit to go out and win that hockey game,” Lee said. “It’s back and forth hockey, it’s two good teams playing. At the end of the day when there’s only two goals scored in regulation and overtime with them and us, it’s tight.”
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