OTTAWA, Ontario — Tense Playoff Race for Islanders
The playoff race is moving at an exhilarating pace, and for the Islanders, one misstep could spell disaster.
After a narrow 3-2 defeat against the Senators on Thursday, the Islanders found themselves on the brink of dropping from their third-place standing, and potentially out of playoff contention, depending on the Columbus and Detroit outcomes that followed closely behind.
It was particularly painful to see Brady Tkachuk scoring the decisive goal with just 11 seconds remaining in regulation time.
As the buzzer echoed in Ottawa, both the Blue Jackets and Red Wings seemed poised to secure valuable points, putting the Islanders in a precarious position if either team managed to win.
This was, without a doubt, a tough blow for an Islanders squad that has clung to playoff hope since December 4.
This playoff race has proven to be unforgiving, and sadly, this particular night was exceptionally harsh for the Islanders.
It didn’t help that winger Anthony Duclair seemed out of sorts, missing some time in the game after an injury due to a hit on his right knee from Tyler Kleven during the second period. Nonetheless, the Islanders pushed through, gaining a 2-1 lead early in the third.
Brayden Schenn scored to break a 1-1 tie just 2:02 into the third period, taking an outlet pass from Rush and perfectly executing a give-and-go with Simon Holmstrom, marking his second consecutive point and putting the Islanders ahead.
But that wasn’t the whole story.
Warren Vogele equalized by capitalizing on a rebound from Fabian Zetterlund, and just three minutes later, Ilya Sorokin couldn’t cover the right post, leading to more trouble for the Islanders.
Sorokin made a remarkable save later in the third on a rush by Michael Amadio, but Ondrej Palat had to help clear the puck off the goal line.
For a while, it appeared that the Islanders would at least force overtime. Yet, with only 11.1 seconds remaining, Jordan Spence’s shot was deflected by Brady Tkachuk, giving Ottawa the 3-2 edge and delivering a painful loss to the Islanders.
