Dallas Stars Fall To New York Islanders 2-1

The Stars are a good team; however, they are on a slide, having lost three games in a row and four of their last five games. Playing the Islanders was just what the doctor ordered as the Islanders won this game 2-1.

There was a pretty interesting storyline in this game, as Mikko Rantanen was hurt and did not play in this game. Rantanen is responsible for the season-ending injury to Islanders Defenseman Aleksander Romanov. Rantanen was the target for the Islanders, with Head Coach Patrick Roy even saying so. Do you think Rantanen was really hurt?

Stars and Islanders Scoring Summary

The Dallas Stars are one of the best teams in the National Hockey League. They came into this game at 43-17-11. They have the second-most points in the league. However, they are on a three-game losing streak and have lost four of their last five. The most recent game for them was a 6-4 home loss to the New Jersey Devils. The Islanders suffered a disastrous 4-3 loss to the moribund Chicago Blackhawks. This game was played fast. Here is a scoring summary from the game.

In the first period, Bo Horvat scored for the Islanders. That was his 30th goal of the season and the 299th of his career. It was also the only goal of the first period. The Islanders led 1-0. They played well in the first period. The Stars only had two or three chances.

In the second period of this game, there were no goals scored, though Horvat hit a post. The Islanders benefited during this period from sustained pressure on the Stars, effectively cycling the puck in the offensive zone. That said, this game had the look and feel of the Islanders’ 1-0 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. In that game, the Islanders scored early, and the goal held up. Sort of like tonight.

In the third period, Matthew Schaefer threw a puck toward the net, and it bounced off Calum Ritchie and into the net. It was 2-0, Islanders. At the end of the third period, the Islanders were under siege. Iyla Sorokin came up big. However, Matt Duchene scored to make it 2-1.

Player Of the Game

The player of the game was Sorokin. He started in goal tonight in his 300th career game. The Stars are much better than the Islanders, so they needed their star goaltender to be great. He made several big saves.

Turning Point

With the game just 1-0 heading into the third period, it was likely that the turning point of the game would be in that period. The turning point of the game was the Ritchie defection in the third period. That was the Islanders’ second goal of the game, and the two-goal lead was important for the Islanders, with the Stars having the second-ranked power play in the National Hockey League. Sure enough, with 9:17 remaining in the third period, Adam Boqvist took a penalty. Fortunately, the Islanders killed that penalty off.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Islanders won this game over the Dallas Stars 2-1. The player of this game was Sorokin. He was big in goal for the Islanders. He had to be with such a big talent disparity between the two teams. This was his 300th career game, and he had a league-leading seven shutouts coming into the game.

The turning point of this game was Ritchie’s defection for the Islanders’ second goal of the game. The two-goal lead was important, as the Stars scored one with an extra attacker on. They pulled their goalie with about 1:30 left in the game.

Parting Shots

The standings are very tight, and the Islanders, who only have nine remaining, need every point they can get. Interesting, the Dallas Stars are pretty much locked into a first-round playoff matchup with the Minnesota Wild. It is a shame that one of those teams will have to lose in the first round of the NHL Playoffs. They are both good teams.