Islanders Burnt By Flames Early, Fall 4-1 to End Brutal Road Trip

The New York Islanders came out flat for the fourth straight game as they fell 4-1 to the Calgary Flames Friday night. The Islanders conclude their four-game road trip with a 1-3-0 record.

The Islanders are now 22-17-2 on the season.

LINES:

Anders Lee-Casey Cizikas-Josh Bailey
Anthony Beauvillier-Brock Nelson-Cal Clutterbuck
Zach Parise-Jean-Gabriel Pageau-Hudson Fasching
Ross Johnston-Aatu Räty-Matt Martin

Alexander Romanov-Noah Dobson
Parker Wotherspoon-Ryan Pulock
Sebastian Aho-Scott Mayfield

Semyon Varlamov
Ilya Sorokin

GOALS: 

Milan Lucic put the Flames on the board 4:36 into the first period as he buried one on a wrist shot in the toy department.

Blake Coleman found the back of the net for Calgary just over a minute later 6:05 into the game. Coleman gets a lucky rebound shot off an initial shot from himself on Varlamov’s right pad. Andrew Mangiapane and Mikael Backlund were credited with the assists.

Nikita Zadorov made it a 3-0 game 14:21 into the first period with his sixth goal of the season. Adam Ruzicka set up a screen in front of Varlamov which created the opportunity for Zadorov from the blue line. Trevor Lewis picked up the assist.

Zach Parise put the Islanders on the score sheet with a nifty goal 19 minutes exactly into the first period for his 12th goal of the season.

The goal made him one of three players in Islanders history with a double-digit goal total at age 38 or older, joining Bill Guerin (16 in 2008-09; 38) and Doug Weight (10 in 2008-09; 38). Coming off the bench, Parise puts a nice deke on a Flames defenseman to make it 3-1 Flames. Jean Gabriel Pageau and Scott Mayfield were credited with the assist.

Nazem Kadri notched his 15th goal of the season at 6:59 of the third period. Tyler Toffoli was credited with the assist.

Varlamov Settles in after Rocky First

After an eight-game absence due to a lower-body injury, New York Islanders netminder Semyon Varlamov was back in between the pipes.

The Islanders struggled mightily in the first period, including Varlamov, who never had a chance to settle in. He gave up three goals on six shots, including a pair of goals in the first ten minutes.

In the second period, the Islander’s veteran was much more in control stopping all nine shots faced.

And in the third period, Varlamov allowed a weak goal to Nazem Kadri, which put the Islanders out of reach, a true momentum-breaker. He stopped five of six shots he faced in the third, stopping a total of 17 on 21 shots. 

Islanders Struggle in First For a 4th Straight Game

The Flames put up two goals within the first 10 minutes of the game. The goals came in a 1:29 span of each other. A lack of communication was present for the Islanders on the ice in the first period.

Throughout the four-game road trip, the Islanders gave up eight first-period goals.

Friday was the quickest they had given up a goal on this road trip and the fastest that a team has scored against the Islanders since Filip Forsberg scored against the Islanders on November 17th in a 5-4 loss 1:03 into the first period.

Milan Lucic gave the Flames the lead early before Blake Coleman scored just 1:29 later.

Then a little over eight minutes later, Nikita Zadorov extended the Flames lead to 3-0.

Zach Parise got the Islanders on the board late, but the damage had been done.

Barzal a Late Scratch

The hottest New York Islanders over the last six games has been forward Mathew Barzal, who was carrying in a six-game goal streak into Friday night’s contest against the Calgary Flames.

Islanders Mathew Barzal Out vs. Flames With Lower-Body Injury

UP NEXT: The New York Islanders host the Dallas Stars Tuesday at 7:30 PM at UBS Arena.