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Rapid Recap: Panthers Roar Early, Islanders Drop 3rd Straight, Lose 3-2

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New York Islanders

SUNRISE, FL– The New York Islanders started off slow yet again, which allowed the Florida Panthers to score two in the first, ultimately winning 3-2. The Islanders have now lost their third-straight contest and are 2-4-0 on the season.

LINES

Parise-Barzal-Bailey
Lee-Nelson-Palmieri
Johnston-Pageau-Wahlstrom
Martin-Cizikas-Clutterbuck

Pelech-Pulock
Romanov-Dobson
Aho-Mayfield

Varlamov

Sorokin

*Anthony Beauvillier (coach’s decision) and Nikita Soshnikov served as scratches, along with Kieffer Bellows. Ross Johnston made his season debut.

SCORING

Anton Lundell gave the Florida Panthers a 1-0 lead just 39 seconds into the contest as Adam Pelech coughed the puck up behind Semyon Varlamov. Lundell then beat Varlamov, on a goal that he wants back. The goal was unassisted.

Eetu Luostarinen gave the Panthers a 2-0 lead at 9:13 of the first period as his shot deflected off Sebastian Aho’s stick and in. Lundell was credited with the lone assist.

Anders Lee scored his third goal of the season on the power play at 4:27 of the second period, as he deflected a Mat Barzal shot over Spencer Knight’s shoulder and in. Barzal and Noah Dobson were credited with the assists.

Ryan Lomberg gave the Panthers a 3-1 lead at 2:56 of the third period as, off a turnover, he beat Varlamov low blocker side for his first of the season. Colin White and Matt Kiersted were credited with the assists.

Lee scored his second of the contest, his second power-play goal as he put home a rebound off a Barzal shot at 9:07 of the third period. Barzal and Nelson were credited with the assists.

Brutal Start

The New York Islanders continue to turn the puck over in their own zone, and they did so just 39 seconds into the contest. Adam Pelech, the Islanders’ best defenseman, coughed the puck up to Anton Lundell. But the ensuing shot should have been stopped by Semyon Varlamov, but it trickled in off his blocker.

That’s the second back-breaking goal allowed in as many games.

The Islanders allowed a goal later on in the period, after a defensive-zone breakdown.

Despite having two power plays, the Islanders only notched eight shots on goal and failed to record a single high-danger chance in the period. They only had two scoring chances against Spencer Knight.

If it wasn’t for a few big stops by Semyon Varlamov in the period, the deficit could have been a few goals worse.

Injury Scare for Noah Dobson

Right before the Florida Panthers scored their second goal of the contest, Noah Dobson took a puck up high. It appeared to clip him in the chin, as everyone on the Islanders side seemed to stop. Dobson laid on the ice for a long while as the trainer came out. Eventually, he and the trainer went off the ice and straight to the dressing room.

Fortunately for Dobson, and the Islanders, he returned shortly after.

It seemed, when he returned, that his shifts were being skipped, going out there every other time Romanov did, but eventually, he was back full-time.

When asked if Dobson was okay following the game, Lane Lambert said, “Yeah, I haven’t heard anything different.”

High-Danger Hiatus

The New York Islanders did not muster much offensively in the contest, with just 25 total shots and two total goals.

As for high-danger chances, their first one at even strength did not come until a couple of minutes into the third period. And the chance went by the wayside as Noah Dobson missed the net on an odd-man rush.

The Islanders added another five high-danger chances in the third period at 5 on 5, but failed to score on any of them.

“They certainly come hard, and they play a certain way,” Lambert said. “We played last night. We knew they were going to come hard and we, at times, struggled a little bit breaking pucks out so we spent a little bit more time in our zone than we want to do.”

Power Play Progress, Penalty Kill Remains Perfect

The New York Islanders entered the contest with a 6.7 power-play percentage. But on six chances against the Florida Panthers, the Islanders capitalized twice.

Anders Lee scored both, first deflecting a Mat Barzal point shot followed by scoring on a rebound, which also came off a Barzal shot. The Islanders mustered 12 shots on their power-play chances.

The New York Islanders found themselves shorthanded four times in the contest. Three of the penalties came in the offensive zone but, yet again, the penalty kill came up large. They allowed seven shots on goal over the four Panthers power plays.

On the season, they are now 22 for 22.

Per Greg Picker, the New York Islanders have set a new franchise record, surpassing the 1981-82 and 1997-98 teams, who started their season’s 21 for 21 on the penalty kill.

Up Next: The New York Islanders host the New York Rangers Wednesday, Oct. 25, at UBS Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 PM ET.

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