Ottawa Senators Fall To New York Islanders, 5-4

The Ottawa Senators are reeling. Their best player is Brady Tkachuk, and he is hurt and out for about two months. That said, the Senators are a deep and dangerous team. The Islanders defeated the Senators 5-4 on a go-ahead goal by captain Anders Lee. This was a game on the road that the Islanders needed to win. Do you think the Islanders will beat the Sharks on Tuesday and even their record at 3-3?

Senators Lose To Islanders 5-4

The Islanders got a much-needed road win in Ottawa against the Senators 5-4 as Lee scored the go-ahead goal with 1:03 to go. That goal capped a five-goal outburst against the Senators. While it was a little concerning that star Goaltender Ilya Sorokin allowed four goals, the Islanders got multiple key scoring contributions.

Here is the scoring summary of the 5-4 Islanders win against the Senators. In the first period, the Senators took a 1-0 lead on David Perron’s goal. That was the only goal of the first period. 

In the second period, Shane Pinto scored for the Senators to make it 2-0. Things did not look good. Then, Emil Heineman scored for the Islanders, and it was 2-1. Then Bo Horvat scored again for the Islanders (he had a hat trick in the last game). That evened the score at 2. Tim Stutzle scored for the Senators to give them a 3-2 lead. Then, Lee scored for the Islanders to even the score at 3. Then the Senators took the lead when Dylan Cozens scored. It was 4-3 Ottawa.

In the third period, the Islanders won the game. First, Kyle Palmieri scored for the Islanders to even the score at 4. Lee scored for the Islanders with 1:03 left to win the game 5-4.

Matthew Schaefer

Matthew Schaefer got a point in his fifth consecutive game. That is a great start to a career. He also played almost 23 minutes in this game, the most on the team. It is no longer a question of whether he should play more than 9 games for the Islanders. If they want to make the playoffs, he will need to play the entire season. In fact, the Islanders should consider ripping up his entry-level contract and signing him long-term.

Anders Lee

Lee scored for the Islanders to win the game in the third period. He also had two assists in this game. The 34-year-old has been a bit of a passenger this season, so it was good to see him score a goal. He needs to approach 30 goals again if the Islanders are to succeed this season and make the playoffs. His scoring a lot, and he got off the schnide against the Senators, would increase his trade value. The Islanders would like nothing better than to rid themselves of his $7 million contract.

Islanders Balanced Scoring Against Senators

12 different Islanders had points in this game. This is precisely the balanced scoring the Islanders need in every game, if they are to make the playoffs. The Islanders have a lot of skilled players and a balanced lineup. So, they can expect to get this kind of contribution if everyone plays well.

Ilya Sorokin

Ilya Sorokin made 29 saves and faced 33 shots in this game against the Senators. That was good for an .879 save percentage. He gave up four goals. This is coming off a game off, so he is probably not overworked. He has given up four goals in every game he has played this season. This is not good enough, as the Islanders need him to be their best player.

Conclusion

Despite the struggles of Sorokin, the Islanders got an important win on the road in Ottawa against the Senators. Now, they have a chance to even their record at 3-3 with the weak San Jose Sharks coming to town. The Islanders should win that game, then the 0-3 start will be forgotten.