Up in Flames
Isles squander 2-0 lead in brutal loss to Calgary
In order for the Islanders’ comeback for the ages on Friday to be more than just a footnote, they needed to follow it up and turn it into some momentum. Sunday’s effort failed. In a battle of teams on the edge of playoff races, the Flames found the finish the Islanders lacked, scoring three unanswered goals to capture a 3-2 win at Barclays Center.
“They took it to us and we didn’t respond,” center Casey Cizikas said. “I don’t know what it is right now. It seems like an ongoing thing. We just gotta find a way to close these games. It’s unacceptable.”
Matthew Tkachuk, who was left wide open in front of the net to tie the game at two midway through the third period, scored the winner as well with 1:05 left. He tipped a shot from ex-Islander Travis Hamonic and clanked it off the post. The ricochet bounced off the skate of Islanders goalie Jaroslav Halak and trickled just across the line for the goal.
Halak, who made 39 saves, called it a “just a bad bounce,” but his teammates didn’t think it should have even gotten to that point. They had squandered yet another two-goal lead — all too reminis- cent of the 4-2 advantage they let slip last Monday in an overtime loss to the Predators.
“We’re giving up way too many late goals — giving up too many goals in general,” captain John Tavares said. “It’s just making it harder for us down the stretch here to get to where we want to get to.”
In the loss to the Predators, they allowed the tying goal with 43 seconds left in regulation. On Sunday, the Islanders (27-24-6) let the Flames tie the game with 10:02 left in the third period before winning it with 65 seconds left.
Both times, the Islanders spent too much time in their own zone in the closing minutes — making a late goal seem almost inevitable. Not a matter of if, but when.
“We did it to ourselves tonight,” Halak said. “If you play a little smarter in the third period. ... We gave them too much and they just kept coming and kept shooting.”
Both teams came into the game on the outside looking in as they are chasing playoff spots in their respective conferences. The Flames (29-19-8) played with the desperation in the third period that matched their situation.
“Jaro, again, was our best player and unfortunately we, again, kind of collapsed right at the end a little bit,” center Mathew Barzal said.
Even after letting their 2-0 lead disappear midway through the third period, the Islanders had chances to get back on top. They had a power play starting at 12:48 that went to waste and then pulled their goalie in the final minutes. Tavares drew a penalty that created a six-on-four with 1.1 seconds left, but he lost the draw and the Islanders had no chance for a desperation shot.
Barzal didn’t see much time on those late man-advantage scenarios, and when asked if it was because he was unhappy with what the rookie was doing, coach Doug Weight answered tersely, “Yeah.”
And so the Islanders wasted one of their better starts in recent weeks, the two-goal lead created by Cizikas and Anthony Beauvillier, and the chance to build some momentum that’s been sorely lacking. They still have not won consecutive games since winning three straight Jan. 7-15.
“We need to turn the page quickly,” Halak said, “and start over again from scratch on Tuesday.”