Islanders no match for Kings as five-on-five struggles continue
The Islanders' messy 5-on-5 game was carried over from Sunday to Tuesday. Their ability to overcome it was not. It was a bit of a reality check for a club that had secured a winning streak, moved within three straight wins to a playoff spot, found the confidence it needed on special teams, and began […]
Islanders’ Isaiah George hitting first speed bump after promising start
Isiah George's magic carpet journey through his first month as an NHLer finally reached a rocky point on Tuesday. Although he turned it over twice in his first few shifts and appeared to struggle against the physicality of the Kings' heavy forecheck, George logged just 7 minutes, 36 seconds of ice time and spent the […]
Ilya Sorokin’s back-to-back wins comes in crucial Islanders moment
Patrick Roy always preferred back-to-back starts during his playing career. At least, Ilya Sorokin probably doesn't care at this point. On Sunday, he found the back of the net for Ottawa while Semyon Varlamov was out with a lower-body injury, marking just the fourth time in the last four seasons that he's started on both […]
Islanders, Ilya Sorokin beat Senators for rare back-to-back wins
The Islanders have won just eight games in regulation. The Islanders struggled throughout November. The Islanders' special teams are notoriously terrible, and the third period is no different. The Islanders somehow manage to qualify for the playoffs. Perhaps that says more about the state of the Eastern Conference than anything else. On December 8, 2024, […]
Islanders’ Bo Horvat finally snaps long scoring drought
It was clear that a 13-game goalless streak was weighing heavily on Bo Horvat's psyche. At 18:55 of Saturday's second period, when Horvat finally put the puck in the back of the net, scoring his first goal in exactly a month and smiling, it was equally obvious that all the weight had been lifted off […]
Islanders slip past Hurricanes thanks to dominant second period
It's been a while since the Islanders played as well as the middle 20 minutes on Saturday. It's been a long time since the Islanders had a win as great as their 4-3 win over the Hurricanes at UBS Arena. The pattern for the past few weeks has been for the Islanders to win on […]
Pierre Engvall fails to show long-term value after Islanders second line chance
There was a faint smile on Patrick Roy's face when asked about Pierre Engval's performance on Thursday night. He sat in silence for five seconds, then asked his own questions. “Do I have to answer that?” he said. To be fair, the head coach said he was giving Engvall (who was unscathed the last two […]
Islanders give alarming worst season effort in worrisome blowout to Kraken
Perhaps this will give the islanders some sense of urgency. It hasn't been much lately for a club that has won just three of its past 13 games, but the close-game saga finally came to an end on Thursday night with a lethargic and miserable 5-2 loss to the Kraken. At UBS Arena. The Islanders […]
Pierre Engvall’s fate lies in Islanders’ big second line opportunity
Pierre Engbal's return to the Islanders' second line along with Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri for the first time since last April does more than throw a potential life raft to a player whose season is completely over. That also goes for the Islanders' looming cap crisis once Anthony Duclair and Mathew Barzal get healthy […]
Islanders’ Bo Horvat looking to break brutal scoring drought
Tuesday might be one of the most frustrating nights of Bo Horvat's career. Not only did he snap a 12-game scoreless streak, he took a bad bounce the other way in overtime and blocked a shot off his skates that set up Nick Suzuki for the game-winning goal. This play, which sealed a 2-1 loss […]