Oilers lose to Islanders 1-0 as Ilya Sorokin Quells Edmonton’s Firepower.
The Oilers lost to the Islanders 1-0 as their firepower was quelled by Ilya Sorokin, who was outstanding. The Islanders will be happy when their injured players, especially Bo Horvat, return to the Islanders’ lineup.
The Islanders faced the Oilers in Edmonton as part of a seven-game, seventeen-day road trip. They need to accumulate points in a tight standings race. Do you think the Oilers’ slow start and then hot finish is their modus operandi?
Oilers and Islanders Scoring Summary
Edmonton came into this game with the Islanders coming off a 4-3 overtime loss to the Nashville Predators, who are suddenly one of the hottest teams in the National Hockey League. Undersung Oliers hero Zach Hyman scored two power-play goals. Leon Draisaitl also scored in the second-period.
This overtime loss was the Oilers’ second overtime or shootout defeat in their last three outings. The Islanders are coming off a 5-4 loss in Winnipeg. Here is a scoring summary of the game. In the first period, there were no goals, and it was a back-and-forth affair. Though Edmonton had more high-danger chances.
It was fortunate for the Islanders that they had a solid Ilya Sorokin in the goal. In the second period, there were no goals scored. It was a question of which team would blink first. In the third period, Anthony Duclair scored the only goal of the game for the Islanders. They made it stand up and won 1-0.
20 Game Point Streak Ends
The Islanders had their hands full with Oilers star Connor McDavid. He came into the game on a twenty-game point-scoring streak. On that streak, he had a gaudy nineteen goals and twenty-seven assists. That was good for forty-six points and is about as good as the average player in the National Hockey League does over a full season. However, with the shutout, the streak ended.
Season Series
This is the second meeting between the Islanders and Oilers this season. New York won 4-2 at UBS Arena on October 16. The Isles have not won a road game against Edmonton since March 7, 2017. This is a difficult place for the Islanders to play. Though that losing streak is now over.
Sorokin Starts
Ilya Sorokin started in goal again for the Islanders in Edmonton, which was a good thing, since he shut them out. This was an opportunity for him to make up for the five goals he allowed against the Jets. He did. Sorokin was 3-3-2 lifetime against the Oilers with a 2.35 goals against average, a .932 save percentage, and one shutout. That is a mediocre record, but very good on the other statistics.
Pulock Playing Great
Ryan Pulock scored his 20th point of the season with an assist on Anthony Duclair’s goal at 7:40 of the second period in Winnipeg. That was Pulock’s 180th assist of his career and tied Noah Dobson for the fifth most assists by an Islanders defenseman in franchise history. His new defensive partner has revitalized him.
With 20 assists now this season, Pulock has already passed his totals from the last two seasons and ranks second on the team, behind Matthew Schaefer, in scoring amongst Isles defensemen this season. In addition, Pulock leads the Islanders with 88 blocked shots. Blocking shots is very important in hockey.
Player of the Game
Ilya Sorokin, who earned his 27th career Islanders shutout with the win, is the player of the game. Consideration could be given to Anthony Duclair, who scored the only goal of the game, but Sorokin saved the Islanders in this game, as the Oilers had several good chances to score.
Frequently Asked Questions
The final score of this game was 4-2, Oilers. The most valuable player of this game was Connor McDavid of Edmonton. He is very hot, so this was not too surprising.
The turning point of this game was Anthony Duclair’s third-period goal. As the only goal of a tight checking game, the goal proved to be the game-winner.
The Islanders next play Saturday at 3 p.m. in Calgary. Calgary is one of the worst teams in the National Hockey League. Edmonton plays in Vancouver on Saturday as well. Teams are playing so many games so close together because the schedule is compressed due to the Milan-Cortina Olympics.
Parting Thoughts
The Islanders faced the Oilers in the fourth game of a massive seven-game, seventeen-day road trip. It was a difficult assignment for them to face the best hockey player in the world, Connor McDavid. However, Islanders goaltender Sorokin was up to the challenge. The Islanders are fortunate that their next game is against the fairly weak Calgary Flames. Because they tend to play down to their competition, this game will be closer than it should be.
