Blown opportunity
Isles follow up dazzling Devils win with lifeless effort vs. Hurricanes
The Islanders wanted to celebrate the return of the Fisherman jersey on Saturday night. But the game turned out to be a reminder of 1995 in more ways than just their uniforms.
A night after the Islanders scored six goals in a high-flying, end-to-end performance against the Devils, their offense went dead against the Hurricanes in a 3-0 loss at UBS Arena. After what might have been their best win of the year, this just might have been their worst loss, and it knocked their record down to 17-12-0.
“We didn’t get to our game at all,” coach Lane Lambert said. “I wouldn’t say we didn’t get to it early. We didn’t get to it at all.”
Carolina played with a relentless forecheck and physicality, taking advantage of a few scoring chances and dominating a low-event game. Outside of Mathew Barzal, the Islanders never managed to skate effectively, and they struggled to make it through the neutral zone with alarming regularity.
“It’s a system and something we like to employ ourselves,” captain Anders Lee said with a grudging admiration for the Hurricanes’ performance. “So they were just able to do it more than us.”
Paul Stastny’s goal at 7:06 of the second period, from Andrei Svechnikov’s cross-crease pass, proved to be the difference for the Hurricanes.
The Islanders squandered a golden chance with a five-on-three that was set to go for 1:15 in the first period, when Lee committed interference, essentially nullifying the advantage.
“You never say it’s a turning point that early in the game,” Lambert said. “But definitely a huge moment not to capitalize.”
Jesperi Kotkaniemi doubled the Carolina lead early in the third period, deflecting Brent Burns’ shot from the point at 4:05. And while the Islanders have so often looked equipped to come back from deficits this season and turn the tenor of games on a dime, they did not on Saturday.
Indeed, they gave up a third goal instead of scoring one of their own, as Jordan Staal put away Jordan Martinook’s feed at 8:49 of the third.
The Islanders’ performance was night-and-day from Friday night. Whereas that game was jammed with intensity, this one felt like air slowly being let out of a balloon. The Hurricanes made it boring — and the Islanders could not respond. Even when Lambert turned to a top line of Lee, Barzal and Brock Nelson, the Islanders proved incapable of generating looks.
“We generally are very good at getting pucks in and keeping it simple and rolling our shifts,” Matt Martin told The Post. “The second period, I know I was stuck out there a few times. We’re turning pucks over, trying to make a play through the middle instead of getting pucks deep and they’re a team that’s gonna throw it right back down and right back in, you gotta try to break out all over again.”
The Islanders looked disjointed when they got on the power play, and struggled to cobble together breakouts at even strength. After putting up 40 or more shots in three of their past four games, the Islanders had an abysmal 16 on Saturday. They ended up being shut out for just the third time this season, and they didn’t make it all that hard on Pyotr Kochetkov in Carolina’s net.
Whether the Islanders grew tired after playing an intense affair against the Devils or were simply stymied by the Hurricanes, the result was the same. Carolina didn’t get much offense either, but what the Hurricanes got turned out to be enough to reestablish themselves in second place in the Metropolitan Division, with 36 points to the Islanders’ 34.
“It’s a tough back-to-back no question, but I don’t think our effort was lacking because of it,” Lee said. “I just think we weren’t able to get to our game. … It didn’t look like what you would expect to see.”