Islanders Fall Short on Thanksgiving Eve
The Islanders seemed poised for a memorable Thanksgiving Eve. It was the third packed house at UBS Arena in a row. Unlike the previous sellouts, this one felt electric. Fans witnessed a stunning highlight-reel goal from Matthew Barzal on bobblehead night. The team appeared to take control against the Bruins, playing decisively in their offensive zone.
If only their power play had clicked. They went 0-for-4 that night, extending their dry spell to 0-for-27 since Matthew Schaefer’s power-play goal in Las Vegas nearly two weeks prior. Had they found that missing piece, they might have celebrated an eighth win in ten seasons.
Instead, the Islanders faced a tough 3-1 defeat against the Bruins, which sealed a season series win for Boston—a result that could loom large in playoff considerations.
This kind of loss stings. The Islanders were clearly stronger in even-strength situations, outscoring the Bruins nearly three to one. But aside from their power play struggles, the team’s earlier claims of looking dangerous without scoring became harder to justify as the game unfolded.
Over eight minutes on the power play, they appeared unfocused. They hesitated to take shots and seemed to lose their edge, failing to capitalize on a game they largely dominated. Currently, they’re languishing at the bottom of the league in power play efficiency—a concern that can no longer be brushed off.
With three scoreless power plays under their belt, the Islanders entered the third period trailing 2-1, despite having twice as many shots as Boston up to that point.
Then it got worse. A rare turnover from Schaefer near the blue line allowed the Bruins to extend their lead to 2-1. Shortly after, Alex Steeves converted a pass from Frazier Minten, pushing the score to 3-1 with just under ten minutes remaining.
This sequence drained the energy from the already charged crowd, leaving the Islanders struggling to regain their rhythm.
The evening had started promisingly, with Barzal’s exquisite goal just 4 minutes and 41 seconds into the game, showcasing impressive stickhandling that left both Pavel Zacha and Jeremy Swayman in his wake. However, Steeves answered back just two minutes later, marking Boston’s first shot on goal. Tanner Jeannot then found the net shortly into the second period, putting the Bruins ahead 2-1.
On a night that should have felt like a pre-Thanksgiving celebration for the Islanders, it turned into a stark reminder: sustaining success is tough without effective special teams.
