Robertson Scores a Second-Period Hat Trick; Stars Beat the Islanders 4-3

ELMONT, N.Y. — The New York Islanders (25-24-7) lost their third straight game as the Dallas Stars (37-18-2) utilized a Casey Cizikas major penalty to storm past New York in the second period. Jason Robertson led the charge with a hat trick in the second period. Two of Robertson’s trio came on the power play to turn a 2-2 tie into an insurmountable 4-2 lead.

The Islanders started with a very rusty opening few minutes, resulting in a Sam Steel goal just 2:10 into the game. As the first period wore on, the Islanders found their legs and carried momentum into the second period.

Pierre Engvall scored his first goal in 27 games with a second-period tally to level the game at 1-1. The Islanders surged, but the Stars held their own. Jason Robertson and Kyle Palmieri exchanged two goals in seven seconds to take the game to a 2-2 tie.

That’s where it fell apart for the Islanders. Casey Cizikas threw a hit on Stars defenseman Lian Bichsel. However, Cizikas appeared to catch Bichsel’s head, and the referees assessed a match penalty and five-minute major on Cizikas for the hit.

Robertson scored twice in 1:35 to put the Stars ahead. The lead felt quite secure in front of their star goaltender, Jake Oettinger.

Anthony Duclair struck midway through the third period to try and jolt a comeback. The Islanders pushed and pushed but never quite found the equalizer.

With just under five minutes to play, Jean-Gabriel Pageau wired home a one-timer to appear to the game. Instead, the goal was waved off as Engvall illegally entered the blue paint and forced Matthew Dumba into it. Textbook goalie interference spoiled the comeback for the Islanders.

All told, Oettinger denied 34 shots in the victory.

As for Ilya Sorokin, he made 25 saves in defeat.

First Period:

The Islanders looked every bit of a team who hadn’t played in 15 days. Sloppy passing and inconsistent forechecking resulted in Steel’s early goal. Left wide open on the backdoor, a shot bounced to his tape for an easy tap-in to stake the Stars to an early lead.

The best early chance for New York came on a partial break for Palmieri. Brock Nelson sprung him, but Palmieri failed to register a shot. Halfway through the frame, shots were tied 5-5.

Duclair took a slashing penalty. Dallas’ power play got to work and all but scored. The returning Ryan Pulock wiped a goal off the board with an unbelievable goal line clearance.

The Islanders got the early kill, but the period ended with a 1-0 deficit.

Second Period:

The Islanders, after a slow start, came out absolutely flying. Eventually, the fourth line came through again. Engvall’s backhanded finished off a very pretty passing play from Kyle MacLean and Marc Gatcomb.

Just over five minutes later, Duclair flubbed a clearance. Three passes later, Robertson had his first on the backdoor. It felt too easy, and it seemed like maybe too tough of a punch.

Eight seconds later, Anthony DeAngelo connected with Palmieri on the pass of the season to tie the game right back up at two apiece. That fully rejuvenated the Islanders, who poured the pressure on for five straight minutes.

The good vibes came crashing down when Cizikas rocked Bischel with an illegal check to the head, getting himself ejected. He dropped the mitts with Dumba and rocked him for good measure. The fight, initiated by Dumba, gave Dallas a three-minute power play instead of a full five-minute onslaught.

That’s where it all fell apart for the Islanders. Matt Duchene kicked off an unbelievable passing play with himself, Roope Hintz, and eventually a Robertson one-timer that left Sorokin helplessly twisting into a pretzel.

Some 95 seconds later, Robertson, already with two goals, slipped beyond Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Scott Mayfield for the easiest tap-in of his life. Mayfield found himself a -3 by the end of the second.

As the Stars’ power play mercifully ended, they shot themselves in the foot and took a too many men penalty. The Islanders actually had a great setup and passed well, but Oettinger robbed Pageau on a rebound. After that, Pageau flubbed two more golden opportunities. The period ended with the Islanders trailing 4-2.

Third Period:

The Dallas Stars’ mission for the third period was to put the Islanders to sleep. They forechecked hard and did not allow any sustained pressure for the first several minutes of the third period.

Simon Holmstrom played a ton of minutes, and coach Patrick Roy elevated him to the second line. Gatcomb received a promotion to the third line, all while Maxim Tsyplakov found himself demoted. Without Cizikas, the bottom six found itself jumbled.

When the Islanders did generate looks, Oettinger stopped them all. Aside from those looks, the Stars’ defense prevented any prolonged attacks. Stars’ Head Coach Pete DeBoer had his men running a clinic.

Nelson had a golden opportunity with just under 12 minutes to go, but Oettinger slid across to deny his bid. Nelson’s hesitation to fling a one-timer cost him a goal.

Eventually, Bo Horvat forced a puck through to the slot. Anders Lee dug it out, and Duclair sent home a backhander. Duclair really needed one, especially after his slow start to the game.

The goal gave the Islanders life. The crowd got back into it and urged the team for an equalizer. The Islanders pushed with the Stars growing weary after two games in two nights. Pageau had his potential equalizer wiped away for goalie interference.

However, it just wasn’t enough. Despite the pressure, the more well-rounded Stars were not going to break tonight.

As the clock wound down, one’s mind wanders to the playoff race. Whether or not these losses pile up will force Team President and General Manager Lou Lamoriello’s hand into selling off Nelson, Palmieri, and potentially more.

Only time will tell. The next Islanders game is Tuesday night at UBS Arena against the New York Rangers.