Islanders Struggle in Recent Game Without Key Forwards
SUNRISE, Fla. — The Islanders find themselves in a tough spot, likely wishing they had some of their injured forwards back on the ice right now.
During Sunday’s match, they were without Kyle Palmieri (ACL), Jonathan Drouin (hip), and Jean-Gabriel Pageau (upper body) for most of the game. It’s been impressive how the team has managed to push through the challenge since Drouin’s injury, but with both Drouin and Pageau missing time—Palmieri is out for the season—the ideal scenario would be for them to return for Tuesday’s game against Las Vegas at home.
On the road against the Panthers, the Islanders struggled to find their offensive rhythm and lost 4-1, putting an end to their three-game winning streak.
Max Shabanov, filling in for Palmieri, had a rough outing. He mishandled a shot in the second period, which was blocked, then turned the puck over deep in the defensive zone, setting up a goal for Carter Verhaeghe to make it 2-0 early in the second period. Ubis Balinski had opened the scoring for Florida shortly before, prompting manager Patrick Roy to adjust the lines, moving Shabanov down to the third line.
Despite some opportunities—like Matt Barzal’s impressive backhand attempt that cut Florida’s lead after Verhaeghe’s goal—the Islanders just couldn’t get it going offensively. Their third-period efforts were painfully familiar; frankly, there wasn’t much happening.
The Panthers did a solid job of containing the Islanders, making it tough for them to break through into the neutral zone and effectively preventing them from getting shots on goal.
After a couple of minor penalties exchanged between Travis Mitchell and AJ Grier, Seth Jones scored for Florida during a 4-on-4 situation, bringing the score to 3-1 with less than seven minutes left in the game.
Sam Reinhart’s empty-net goal ultimately sealed the victory. On a disappointing note, Bo Horvat’s performance was quiet again, and Matthew Schaefer’s usual impact was subdued, though he did assist on Barzal’s 21st goal—a notable achievement for an 18-year-old defenseman so early in the season.
It’s clear that the Islanders are missing a significant portion of their top nine players, and it shows. While they managed to put up some good numbers against Colorado earlier in the week, they’ve struggled to score since Pageau was sidelined.
In light of these injuries, young players like Holmstrom, Shabanov, Cal Ritchie, and Max Tsyplakov have been thrust into more prominent roles. All four of them have displayed potential, but they’re generally under 25 and for some, the transition from the KHL to the NHL is still in progress.
Take Shabanov’s costly shift that led to a Panther’s goal as an example. It highlights the challenges the team is currently facing. Ideally, they would have the time to grow and adapt, but that’s not the reality they find themselves in right now.
