ANAHEIM, Calif. — The islanders had seven defenders in their Sunday lineup, but sometimes one of them was not willing to hit.
Most of the season is a quiet line, with the lack of edge and physicality that is inherent in the game.
When Ilya Sorokin bailed out over and over again, we were able to see it during his first period with San Jose on Saturday.
Anaheim was able to see it when he completed the Islander's season sweep on the night Anaheim concluded the season 4-1 at Honda Center as Anaheim jumped the island with three teams in the rankings and climbed within two points of the playoff spot.
In many cases, islanders are too easy to compete against.
For a team that has built that identity and success over the spirit of opposition in most of the time that appears to be portrayed in something closer now, this is something that must be addressed in the offseason where more substantial changes are expected.
Currently, the islanders do not choose to not make it to what they have. That meant defensive Adam Bokvist, who lined up as the fourth center with Kyle McLean coming out due to illness on Sunday.
Losing MacLean, a straight line player who can bring physical energy when he is in the game, did not help with the problems against Anaheim.
The young, skilled duck quickly sprinkled ice against a team of islanders who seemed interested in defending only the sticks. There is no body.
Marcus Hogberg played his first game since January 25th, stopping 22 shots after being activated from an injured reserve early in the day.
Hogberg was unable to stop himself from collapsing the house himself, including his right skate at Isaac Lundestrom and a penalty shot from Janssen Harkins.
Quietly, the islanders have won four of the four of the last five on Sunday, but the passivity on display from the Jump was straight from the blown defeat at Madison Square Garden last week.
Sam Colangelo attacked first for Anaheim, defeating Hogberg with a free appearance under the right dot at the first 17:52.
Drew Helleson doubled the lead by 14:56 on a shot from the right point. There, instead of Pierre Engbal-McLean, it appeared to have been screened 5-5 on dots, following a sequence in which the islanders did not choose Bokbisvist's draw.
Just 43 seconds later, Mason McTavish erased his hopes of a comeback with a power play goal to hurry up to 3-0.
Head coach Patrick Roy's trademark, very early goalkeeper pull, was not rewarded, and Colangelo extended his lead even further by putting the puck in an empty net into regulation at 11:42.
Tony DeAnguero defeated the shutout with a slow goal for the islanders, but it was the only consolation prize.
It will be a difficult battle for the islanders of the wildcard race, and it will be a strange, transitional six weeks when Brock Nelson disappears and closes the regular season.
No one has given up on the season, but if all eight species were finished, Nelson would not have been traded. Everyone needs to understand that.
Still, even in a row, even the patchwork lineup, this was not a game that the islanders could afford to lose.
And losing Nelson doesn't explain the lack of defensive structures that were once again on display in San Jose and Anaheim.
What islanders can do now is a question that takes time to answer.
But certainly that's more than they showed on Sunday.
