Detroit Red Wings Dominated By New York Islanders In 7-2 Loss

Kevin Sweeney

The Red Wings came into the game tonight having played (and lost) last night. They got off to a slow start, so they did seem tired. The slow start doomed them as they lost this game in UBS Arena 7-2. Before their loss last night, they were 5-1.

They presented a challenging test for the Islanders, as they are a strong team with a nice blend of veterans and young prospects. The Red Wings are off to such a fast start that they are just two points behind the Montreal Canadians for first place in the Atlantic Division. Do you think the Red Wings will make the playoffs this year for the first time in a decade?

Red Wings Lose To Islanders 7-2

Here is the scoring summary of the 7-2 Islanders win against the Red Wings. In the first period, the Islanders got off to a swift start. The Islanders took a 1-0 lead on Tony DeAngelo’s goal, just a little over two minutes into the game. Then, Emil Heineman scored, on an assist from Bo Horvat, who now has 8 points, to give the Islanders a 2-0 lead. The first period ended with the Islanders killing a penalty, but leading 2-0. 

In the second period, Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored for the Islanders for a surprising 3-0 lead. They went right on the power play just after scoring. Then, Adam Pelech banked the puck in off Kyle Palmieri’s skate. It was 4-0 Islanders. That goal was challenged by the Red Wings, who failed in their challenge, so the Islanders went on another power play. Matthew Barzal scored, and it was 5-0 Islanders. That one was in the last minute of the second period, right after the Islanders killed a Detroit power play.

In the third period, Dylan Larkin scored a power play goal to cut the Islanders’ lead to 5-1. The Islanders retook a 6-1 lead on Heineman’s second goal of the game. Then Simon Holmstrom scored to give the Islanders a 7-1 lead. Then Jonatan Berggren scored for Detroit, and it was 7-2 Islanders.

Matthew Schaefer

With a point in this game, Matthew Schaefer would have been the first defenseman ever with points in seven games to start a career. He is only 18 years old. He played lots of minutes tonight, but did not score for the first time in his young career. Players are not going to score in every game they play. Schaefer made some nice plays against the Red Wings. This was despite the Islanders scoring 7 goals tonight.

Fast Start

The Islanders took a 2-0 lead in the first period. That was a good start against a tough team in the Detroit Red Wings. It was probably the best first period the Islanders played all season. That is, until Palmieri took a silly penalty with about 1:30 to go in the first period. Fortunately, that penalty wrapped around to the second period.

Red Hot Emil Heineman

Heineman scored his fourth goal this young season in the first period. He was almost a throw-in in the deal that netted the Islanders two first-round picks in the 2025 National Hockey League Draft. People said he had a good wrist shot, and that seems to be the case in the early going. He is thriving on the Islanders’ top line. Then in the third period, he scored his fifth goal of the season, which gave the Islanders a 6-1 lead.

News and Notes

  • Last season, the Red Wings won all three games against the Islanders. So, turnabout is fair play. The Islanders play three games against the Red Wings; the next two are in Detroit.
  • The Islanders fired their goaltending coach yesterday. Piero Greco was the goaltending coach. Sergei Naumovs is the new one. It was unusual for a team to fire a coach 6 games into the season, but Naumovs was Star Ilya Sorokin’s coach in the KHL.
  • David Rittich started this game in goal for the Islanders. Strange timing, given the replacement of the goaltending coach. This was Rittich’s second start of the season. He is Sorokin’s backup. He played well this evening, and one has to wonder if he will get more starts, given Sorokin’s struggles
  • It is good for the Islanders that Horvat now has 8 points in this young season. He is off to a good start.
  • Captain Anders Lee had a good game against the Red Wings with three assists.
  • The Islanders travel to Philadelphia to play the Flyers on Saturday afternoon.

Conclusion

This was probably the best game of the year for the Islanders, who won their fourth game in a row. They were at home all this week and go on the road Saturday afternoon in Philadelphia. They need to keep scoring points when on the road. As the standings indicate, they cannot fall behind, and the Flyers are only one point behind them.

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