A poor game means the New York Islanders are now 3-5-2. A poor game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on the road cost the Islanders dearly. Columbus Blue Jackets were one point ahead of the Islanders in the standings. Now the Islanders are three points behind Columbus. It is reasonable to wonder, after being shut out for the fourth time in ten games if the Islanders will ever score again.
Anthony DuClair is scheduled to be out 4-6 weeks. Regardless of how long he is out, he cannot save them but will help. Even when he is back in the lineup the New York Islanders will continue to struggle to score. The Islanders are likely to have more poor games.
Poor Effort, Crucial Loss
In this poor effort, the Islanders looked like they could not score, despite several chances. It is almost like there is a forcefield in front of the net. Right now they are thinking they cannot score and this is the incorrect approach. The Islanders need to keep shooting and keep going to the dirty areas in front of the net. Good things will happen.
This poor effort was a very bad loss. The Columbus Blue Jackets are a Metropolitan Division opponent who was one point ahead of the Islanders, now the Blue Jackets are three points ahead of the Islanders. This is all despite the Islanders being undefeated the last ten times the Islanders played in Columbus.
No Power Plays Allowed
There is some good news in this poor game. The Columbus Blue Jackets did not have a power play. One way for the New York Islanders to ensure their penalty kill does not betray them is to not get any penalties. This is something the Islanders did not do last night. This was good as the Islanders have a penchant for committing bad penalties. This is a poor habit.
Varlomov Plays Great
Another bit of good news in this poor game was the play of Goaltender Semian Varlamov. He played great. During this losing streak, both Russian goaltenders have played great for the Islanders. Varlomov had 25 saves in the game against the Columbus Blue Jackets and he had a .960 save percentage. He even made one spectacular save that made the top ten plays on ESPN’s Sportscenter.
If the Islanders are not going to score that many goals the goaltending must be very good and they have been. Nevertheless, it seems if those goaltenders are not perfect, the Islanders will not win. This puts the Islander’s goaltenders in an impossible position.
Scoring Summary
No goals were scored in the first or second periods. It looked like we were heading to another scoreless regulation, however improbable that is. Columbus Goaltender Elvis Merzlinkins had a shutout in the game. In the third period, Columbus scored two goals. Damon Severson scored and then Justin Danforth scored an empty net goal to give Columbus the victory, capping the poor effort from the New York Islanders.
Team On Pace For 32 Shoutouts
The New York Islanders have been shut out four times in ten games. The Islanders are on a pace to get shut out 32 times this year. This spectacular achievement should not be put past them. They were shut out 23 times last season, so 32 is a possibility. One thing is certain, the Islanders are getting the reputation of a great defensive team that cannot score. The Islanders may not score many goals in upcoming games.
Conclusion
With this poor effort, the New York Islanders looked incompetent in the 2-0 loss. These crucial divisional points will come back to haunt them, opportunities are slipping through their fingers. This was another embarrassing game for the New York Islanders. The game looked like, for the second time in ten games, there would be a scoreless tie after regulation.
The upcoming schedule, for the New York Islanders, is very difficult. First, they travel to Buffalo to take on the Sabres on November 1. They must have points in this game because the next one is difficult. The Islanders play at the rival New York Rangers on November 3 at Madison Square Garden. The New York Islanders then host the Pittsburgh Penguins on November 5. The Islanders then travel to a very good Ottowa team on November 7.
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