Islanders Lose 4th Straight as Offensive Woes Continue in 3-1 Loss to Wild

ELMONT, NY– The New York Islanders lost their fourth-straight contest on Thursday night as they were outplayed in a 3-1 loss to the Minnesota Wild. Netminder Ilya Sorokin did all he could.

The Islanders are now 22-18-3 on the season.

LINES:

Anders Lee-Mathew Barzal-Simon Holmstrom
Anthony Beauvillier-Brock Nelson-Josh Bailey
Zach Parise-Jean-Gabriel Pageau-Hudson Fasching
Matt Martin-Casey Cizikas-Cal Clutterbuck

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

Ilya Sorokin
Semyon Varlamov

GOALS: 

Scott Mayfield gave the New York Islanders a 1-0 lead at 16:49 of the first period as his shot from the blue line snuck past Minnesota Wild netminder Filip Gustavsson for his fifth of the season. Matt Martin and Alexander Romanov were credited with the assists.

Frederick Gaudreau tied the contest at one as he beat Sorokin for a shorthanded tally at 10:55 of the third period for his 10th of the season.

Just 1:33 later, Sam Steel was left all alone and beat Sorokin high glove side to give the Wild a 2-1 lead. His eighth of the season was assisted by Mats Zuccarello and Kirill Kaprizov at 12:28 of the third.

Kaprizov gave the Wild a 3-1 lead via an empty-net goal at 18:47 of the third period.

Islanders Allow Two in 1:33

The New York Islanders did not play responsible hockey all game long, but they had the lead entering the third period, thanks to Sorokin. But in a span of 1:33, the Islanders saw their lead vanish as they gave up a shorthanded goal.

We'll take that ☝️#mnwild pic.twitter.com/RVKkaMlFKX

— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) January 13, 2023

And then a defensive zone turnover led to the Wild’s go-ahead goal.

Consider the momentum: shifted 😤#mnwild pic.twitter.com/NPvycQxVWP

— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) January 13, 2023

Sorokin Sensational

New York Islanders forward Ilya Sorokin had not allowed more than a goal in his last four home games heading into Thursday night’s contest. That streak was snapped Thursday night, but not because of him, as he was sensational.

On the night, he stopped 33 of 35 shots that came his way.

In the second period, he faced nine shots and made a few highlight-reel stops.

He denied Wild defenseman Jon Merrill with the glove on a rebound chance, stopping a deflection later in the period.

Sorokin again 👀 pic.twitter.com/an1YfrNBjO

— Rob Taub (@RTaub_) January 13, 2023

The Islanders found themselves on the penalty kill five times in the game, as Sorokin stopped all seven shots that came his way.

Sorokin got no help the whole night and did what he could to keep the Islanders ahead, but two breakdowns in the third period led to a 3-1 loss.

He stopped 33 of 35 in the loss.

Islanders Snap Some Streaks

The New York Islanders scored the contest’s first goal on Thursday night, courtesy of Scott Mayfield.

When was the last time the Islanders accomplished that feat?

You have to go back five games to when Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored the first goal against the Columbus Blue Jackets in a 2-1 win.

When was the last time the Islanders had a lead heading to the first intermission?

You have to go back 11 games for that, as they took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission against the Vegas Golden Knights on Dec. 17, courtesy of Anders Lee.

UP NEXT: The New York Islanders host the Montreal Canadiens Saturday at 7:30 PM at UBS Arena