The Oilers came into UBS Arena somewhat hobbled. They did have Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, but Zach Hyman is hurt. Hyman is an important part of the Oilers’ offensive attack. The Oilers were not able to overcome the key injury to Hyman and lost 4-2. The Islanders are now 1-3. Do you think the Islanders will make the playoffs this season?
Oilers Lose To Islanders 4-2
The Islanders played well in this fast game. They played up to the level of the Oilers, who came in with a record of 2-0-1. Mathew Schaefer was not the best player on the ice tonight; the ever-dangerous McDavid was. The Islanders came through with a 4-2 win on a Bo Horvat hat trick.
Here is the scoring summary of the 4-2 Islanders win. In the first period, the Islanders took a 1-0 lead on Matthew Barzal’s fancy steal and goal. That was Barzal’s first goal since January 18. He seems to be skating better, so that is good news for the Islanders. Then, Leon Draisaitl scored on the power play. That knotted the game at 1, which is how the first period ended.
In the second period, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored, and that gave Edmonton a 2-1 lead. That goal was a big momentum changer. Later, Horvat scored a shorthanded goal for the Islanders to tie the game at 2. In the third period, Horvat scored again. The Islanders led 3-2. Horvat had both a shorthanded goal and a power play goal. Then Horvat scored again on an empty net. The Islanders won 4-2.
Matthew Schaefer
The daily report on Matthew Schaefer is obligatory. He played well, though somewhat less than the 26+ minutes he has averaged in the last two games. He only played 6:28 in the first period. He played about the same amount in the second period, though his skill was evident. He got a point in his fourth consecutive game.
Special Teams
The Islanders gave up a power play goal in the first period to Draisaitl, who walked to the front of the net unmolested. It is imperative that the Islanders do not take penalties. That is a sure way to not allow shorthanded goals. To a certain extent, penalties are a part of hockey. The Islanders took two penalties in the first period tonight, and Draisaitl scored on a tripping penalty to Scott Mayfield.
David Rittich
David Rittich played in goal for the Islanders. This was good, as starting Goaltender Ilya Sorokin has had a poor start to the season. One of the key arguments about Sorokin in past seasons has been that he has been overworked. Now, he can rest today and play on Saturday in Ottawa. That gives him almost a full week off. Rittich, for his part, is porous. He made several great saves in the second period and got his first win as an Islander.
Game News and Notes
It was good to see Barzal score in the first period. He had a nice steal and score. It was his first goal since January. He says he’s skating well and seems over the injury that limited him to 30 games last season. There was some concern that the injury to Barzal’s knee would carry over to this season.
Stuart Skinner played well in goal for the Oilers. He stopped quite a few high-danger Islanders’ shots. He was probably the difference for Edmonton tonight. He was also good in the last game against the Rangers, as Edmonton is making its rounds on the East Coast.
Conclusion
After this game, which wraps up a three-game home stand, the Islanders will face a tough Ottawa Senators team on Saturday afternoon. Through four games, it is clear the Islanders will shoot the puck this year, but not score much. They will need their goaltenders to play well this year.
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