Just three games into the season, the starting lineup for the Islanders is quickly raising concerns.
They are still searching for their first win and didn’t come close during Monday’s 5-2 loss to the Jets at UBS Arena.
The early afternoon start marked them as the first team in the NHL to open the season at 0-3. Sure, it’s just the beginning of an 82-game journey, but there’s plenty to feel uneasy about.
Alexander Romanov, who signed an eight-year contract over the summer, has had a rough go so far, struggling in all three games. On Monday, he was replaced on the penalty kill by Matthew Schaefer. Simon Holmstrom and Max Tsyplakov—two players the team hoped would step up this season—have also been lacking, and were practically invisible on the ice. Ilya Sorokin hasn’t been performing at his usual level either; he allowed a rather unfortunate goal to Logan Stanley when the puck squeaked off his pads.
The Islanders have really been having a tough time winning physical battles in front of both nets. They’ve started poorly in every game, allowing the first goal each time, but they’ve only managed to lead for a brief 1:37 out of a possible 180:00.
These problems were on full display again on Monday. After an encouraging start, it wasn’t long before Morgan Barron energized the crowd at UBS Arena with a rush that sent Romanov crashing into the net after receiving a pass from Cole Koepke. Moments later, Nino Niederreiter scored on a power play, capitalizing on a cross-crease pass from Gus Nyquist that the Islanders failed to clear, making it 2-0.
Jean-Gabriel Pageau managed to score early in the second period, giving the Islanders a glimmer of hope, but Stanley responded just 14 seconds later to restore the Jets’ two-goal cushion. Romanov was involved in yet another misstep, as he was caught out of position, leading to Winnipeg’s fourth goal off a breakaway.
Emil Heinemann scored his first goal for the Islanders towards the end of the second period, giving the team some momentum. However, despite having a power play opportunity to start the third, the Islanders couldn’t capitalize, reflecting their ongoing struggles from last season as they went 0-for-5 on Monday.
Offensive creativity was nearly nonexistent in the third period, capped off by a late empty-net goal from Mark Scheifele, finalizing the score at 5-2.
Schaefer’s individual efforts seem to spark a bit of positivity, arguably making him the standout performer among the Islanders thus far.
The last time the Islanders began a season with three consecutive losses was in 2006-07, yet they still reached the playoffs after winning a shootout on the final day.
As the Oilers prepare to visit Long Island to finish this homestand, the likelihood of the Islanders starting with an 0-4 record looms large, which would mark the first time in their history they’d experience three straight home defeats.
Perhaps even more concerning is the fact that aside from a brief glimpse of competitiveness against the Penguins in the opener, the Islanders have struggled to seem truly competitive in any game.
There’s a growing sense of urgency already, which is probably not a good sign just three games into the season.
