With multiple teams pushing for a playoff spot they are letting slip away, the Islanders wasted a golden opportunity to keep pace against a bottom-five team that has nothing to play for but the pretense that next season will be better.
The Isles got out to a decent start and 1-0 lead in the first minute on Anders Lee’s 16th of the season, but the Chicago Blackhawks stormed back with three goals in a seven-minute span of the first, capitalizing on a Mat Barzal turnover to get on the board and then a contagious series of more turnovers and sloppy play.
A 3-1 deficit after 20 minutes is completely reversible against a “fragile” team — and Ilya Sorokin took over for David Rittich after that first period but the Isles were the ones to crumble after an obvious icing was not called. Adam Pelech and Scott Mayfield acted like they’d never played together as they coughed up the puck behind the Isles net, Mayfield getting bodied off and then flailing away. The Blackhawks pounced, Frank Nazar converted and the lead was 4-1 just six minutes into the second period.
The Isles squandered a full power play late in the second period to bring that three-goal deficit into the third. They eventually got going and made it close, but they couldn’t dig out of the hole, causing Thomas Hickey to lament at the post-horn cut to break, simply: “It’s a shame.” A shame that basically 10 minutes of brain farts wasted the opportunity, made worse and harder-to-overcome with an equally shameful brainfart following the blown icing non-call.
Adding to the fun: Tony DeAngelo was lost after the first period, status undeclared, but it looks like it’s not just a game. This comes after Ryan Pulock was out again, with enough concern there for the Isles to call up Isaiah George as an extra before the game.
Figure George to be needed next game, as will Adam Boqvist, who handled himself pretty well in 17:57.
Overall, there weren’t a lot of individual goats throughout the game; once the hole was dug, they did the right things to try to get themselves back in the game (including, of course, running Matthew Schaefer out there again and again, for a total of 31:59 of TOI and 14 attempted shots, 7 of which reached goal).
But the hole was too big, there wasn’t enough home karma and fortune to bail them out, and damn not only what a shame, but what a waste.
This was the one they needed to bank. They’ve got a game every other night the rest of the week with the Stars, Panthers and Penguins, who are the first opponent in a back-to-back that concludes in Buffalo.
The Penguins (86 points) and Bruins (86) each lost tonight in regulation, and at least Ottawa (85) knocked off Detroit (85) in regulation, so that’s a few potential extra points taken out of the system. And Montreal climbed to 88 with a regulation win over Carolina. If the Isles fall short, we’re going to look back at tonight as one of the critical unforced errors that did them in.