Islanders Fight, But Jets Overpower and Beat New York 4-3

The New York Islanders (25-22-7) fought hard but ultimately fell 4-3 in a comeback attempt against the Winnipeg Jets (39-14-3) Friday night in the Canada Life Centre. Gabriel Vilardi’s pair of second-period goals helped lift Winnipeg to a 4-2 lead, one they’d cling to in the third period to add to their league-high 39 wins.

Ilya Sorokin played more than okay but found himself outdueled by Connor Hellebuyck in the night’s biggest moments. Hellebuyck made 32 saves, including 18 in the third period, to hold off a comeback from the Islanders. Sorokin denied 23 on his end of the ice.

Winnipeg’s stop stars shined bright, with Vilardi’s two goals being assisted both times by Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele. Alex Iafallo had the first-period goal for Winnipeg, and Nikolaj Ehlers had the second of three tallies in the second, sandwiched between the Vilardi strikes.

The Islanders had an ideal start, with Simon Holmstrom scoring his 14th of the season just 65 seconds into the game. It was the first of two first-period leads for the Islanders tonight, with Marc Gatcomb scoring later on to make it 2-1.

Ultimately, Winnipeg outscored the Islanders 3-0 in the second period, which made all the difference. Despite an incredibly strong third-period push, only Kyle Palmieri got on the board late in the third before the horn sounded.

 Takeaway #1: This Team Fights

The theme has truly become Rocky. Tonight fit that bill again. Heavy underdogs against the top team in the NHL, the Islanders came out swinging.

Two first-period leads, all while matching up quite nicely with Winnipeg’s speed, looked really good for the Islanders. The issues became fatigued in the second when Winnipeg took over.

Despite taking multiple penalties, the penalty kill held up, only to be outdone by poor 5v5 defending and coverage in the defensive zone, handing the Jets an insurmountable 4-2 lead heading into the final 20 minutes.

Entering tonight, Winnipeg is 29-0-1 when leading after the second period and 16-0-1 at home. Move those numbers to 30 and 17.

Despite 19 shots, three power plays, and a commitment to throwing all they had at Hellebuyck, but he stood tall. They fought hard, but it wasn’t enough. Now, they move on to tomorrow to face the Minnesota Wild in Minnesota before having two weeks off.

Takeaway #2: Can Someone, Anyone, Fix the Power Play?

The New York Islanders’ power play is putrid. It’s 32nd in the NHL and below 12% on the season. They had not one, not two, but three third-period power plays while trailing the Jets tonight.

They failed to generate anything on the first two chances before finally making some nice passes and firing some pucks on the third opportunity. Whether it’s unfamiliarity with the new guys—Anthony DeAngelo and Adam Boqvist—or a schematic issue, it’s a major issue that cost them a real chance to tie the game.

I wrote earlier today about why it’s a fool’s errand to trade Noah Dobson for anything other than a bonafide superstar. However, that’s the one area where trading the defender could make sense. If they can dangle Dobson to acquire a slam dunk superstar like Elias Pettersson, it’s hard to pass up the opportunity.

Short of that, the Islanders need their power-play quarterback to return sooner than later.

Takeaway #3: More of Adam Boqvist and Scott Perunovich, Please:

Adam Boqvist and Scott Perunovich continued to impress tonight. Perunovich’s rink awareness really sticks out. He’s constantly in the right areas and ready to make the right play. What’s more, he does it so calmly. Whether it’s keeping in pucks in the offensive zone or good breakouts, he’s done a lot of things right. Perunovich finished with over 20 minutes plated, two blocks, two takeaways, but two official turnovers.

Boqvist, meanwhile, really stood out to me tonight. He played just over 17 minutes, but he made each of them count. He buzzed up and down the ice, jumping in on rushes. He made some incredibly smart plays in the offensive, carrying in deep and circling to make passes or fire shots. Boqvist finished with four shots, a block, and zero turnovers.

It felt almost inevitable that Boqvist would score, making it all the more surprising that he did not get out there for most of the 6v5 with an empty net.

Meanwhile, I thought Anthony DeAngelo had an okay game. He played a team-leading 27:10, thanks largely to three third-period power plays, but overall he felt off tonight. He went -1, had two official turnovers, and could not get the power play set up on the first two attempts as the quarterback of the unit. His breakouts were mostly solid, which is notable against a team like the Jets.

DeAngelo stepped up on the third power play late in the game. He had a great shift that almost tied the game at four. However, his rush defense looked a bit weak against the Jets, but that can happen playing 27 minutes. He finished with two shots, one block, and the two official giveaways.