It was a gritty performance by the shorthanded Islanders on Tuesday, November 12 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They easily could have lost this game, but did not. The undermanned Islanders lost 4-3 in overtime to the vastly more skilled Oilers. Andres Lee scored twice for the Islanders in the last ten minutes of the third period to tie the game at three before the Islanders looked hapless and let another point slip by the wayside.
The fact that Lee scored twice for the Islanders is a good sign for them as he needs to score to offset the losses to injuries. The ‘Islanders are still missing their injured players with 2/3 of the top line out and also three of the top six defensemen. Those players are all going to be out for a long time so the gritty Islanders just need to keep ticking off games from the schedule until their injured players get back to the ice.
Anders Lee Scores Twice
The Islanders were losing 3-1 with less than ten minutes left in the game. That is when the captain of the Islanders, Anders Lee, scored two goals. Lee now has six goals, and his two late goals to tie the game at three were huge for him and for the Islanders. The Islanders need Lee to score now to make up for the loss of all of the injured players, especially Mat Barzal and Anthony DuClair.
The Second Line is Gritty
The second line the Islanders have of Brock Nelson, Kyle Palmieri, and Maxim Tsyplakov is very gritty and scored yet another goal. Despite all of the injuries, head coach Patrick Roy has been reluctant to break up this line, with good reason. The line is dangerous and has been playing great this season for the Islanders.
Iilya Sorokin Plays Great Again
An important part of the gritty Islanders is great goaltending. One way to get points in hockey games is to allow few goals, especially if a team cannot score, like the Islanders. The Islanders have two stars in the net, Semyon Varlamov and Ilya Sorokin. Sorokin had his second consecutive excellent game in a row despite giving up four goals. Sorokin was under siege all night and had a .905 save percentage for the Islanders. Sorokin made several spectacular saves and the Islanders could not afford the defensive lapses that allowed those shots. Having defensive breakdowns is not the type of play a gritty team needs.
Hapless Overime and Squandered Opportunity
After the Islanders got to overtime, they left a point on the table as they allowed the Edmonton Oilers to score. The goal was by Leon Daisaitl and was assisted by Connor McDavid for his 999th point. The Islanders did well to secure the road point by getting to overtime, despite being outshot 32-29. In overtime puck possession is important, and despite leading the National Hockey League in faceoff percentage the Oilers possessed the puck for almost the entire overtime period. Defenseman Ryan Puluk was trapped on the ice for the entire overtime period.
Scoring Summary
There was no scoring in a very defensive first period. The Islanders lived up to their gritty defensive reputation, and Ilya Sorokin stood on his head, particularly at the end of the first period. In the second period, the Islanders allowed a power play goal to Leon Draisaitl, as Edmonton took a 1-0 lead. Kyle Palmieri equalized the game at 1 for the Islanders near the end of the second period and that is how the period ended. Most of the scoring, however, was in the third period.
In the third period, Evan Bouchard and Connor McDavid scored for the Oilers and then Anders Lee scored his two important goals for the Islanders to force overtime. In that overtime period, Leon Draisaitl scored for the Oilers to give them the win. He was assisted by Connor McDavid, who has 999 career points now.
Conclusion
The undermanned Islanders needed to score points in this home game, but they cannot be faulted. The Edmonton Oilers are a more skilled team than the Islanders. The skill of the Oilers was evident watching the game. The upcoming schedule, for the New York Islanders, is very difficult. First, they travel to Vancouver to face the Canucks on November 14. On Saturday, November 16 they will face the Kraken in Seattle. On November 19 the islanders play in Calgary and on their way back from the West Coast they stop for a game in Detroit on November 21. Then the marathon road trip ends.
