The Islanders did more than drop the ball at home last night against the Pittsburgh Penguins. In recent years, the Islanders have done fairly well against Pitt, including the two playoff series wins against them, but watching the game live at UBS last night was pretty disheartening.
After an even first period in terms of momentum, the Isles came out in the second period to let up 6 of the eventual 7 goals against. Kris Letang (6 pts in the night) set a record for points from a defenseman in a single period (5 assists). Love that for us. We were still getting some scoring chances, but failing to capitalize, mixed in with a leaky Sorokin and questionable team effort was more than enough to solidify the defeat early. I still had hope at 3-0, but 4 was just too many in a period for this team to come back from, especially when this became one of those nights where we weren’t getting any shots on goal.
Lambert’s timeout sought to end the chaos, but it was followed up immediately with a breakaway goal against. The boys simply did not have it last night. I’d give them a small break due to it being the first game after Christmas break, but you’d expect some more enthusiasm for a big home game like that. I keep wondering how much of our issues have to do with coaching. It always comes down to the players competing to me, but when that is a consistent issue then the coach seems like an obvious target for change. He for sure could have pulled Sorokin sooner. I personally won’t join the growing hate against Ilya, but when he struggles, we have to acknowledge it and adapt. He was Swiss cheese last night. It was an all-around tough showing, and with Denis Potvin in the house!
One thing I wonder about, too, is if Wahlstrom has really earned his spot in the lineup with 5 points in 19 games this season (and 0 SOG last night). I was sad to see Gauthier would be out of the lineup, but that’s certainly not a surprise move. I just feel like he is a bit more effective playing with our third line than Wahlly has been anywhere else. The “perfect” lineup for this roster is still very much up for debate.
Shoutout to Brock Nelson, however, for hitting his SOG prop and helping me hit a parlay for my selfish highlight of the night. The man always shows up against the Penguins, just needed to bury a few of those shots.
The Isles return home again on Friday to play the Capitals, who have had our number. They are two points behind us in the standings, and both teams will be hungry for redemption after blowout losses on Wednesday. This is essentially the most important game of the year as we look to maintain our status in the division. If the Islanders can’t get pumped up and execute a win for a game like this, then there are some major concerns.
With all that said, it was still nice to be back at the arena and see a packed house of passionate Islander fans. I was glad to have the Heineken Lounge to dissappear to and watch a bit of the third period with some other fans. UBS has been solid in terms of maintaining the big community vibes from the Coliseum. Let’s rock the barn this Friday and regain our momentum for the new year, eh?
CP: https://triblive.com/sports/penguins-rout-islanders-as-defenseman-kris-letang-sets-scoring-record/
The Morning Skate 