Isles' Sloppy Play Ends Five-Game Point Streak at UBS Arena
The Wild scored on their first shot, setting the tone for a difficult night for the Islanders. They struggled throughout the game with poor passing, turnovers, and being outworked by the Wild, who capitalized on the Islanders’ defensive errors.
“I don’t think we executed well at all,” said Anders Lee. “I think we were clearly off from the get-go. When we struggle to break the puck out and we struggle with our turnovers, it’s going to be a long night.”
The game concluded with a 5-2 loss at UBS Arena on Friday night, ending a 1-1-1 homestand and snapping the Islanders' five-game point streak at home. David Rittich made 21 saves for the Islanders (6-6-2).
They will begin a seven-game road trip on Saturday against the Rangers at Madison Square Garden, offering a quick chance to recover from this performance.
“I think they beat us to a lot,” said Bo Horvat, who assisted Emil Heineman's goal that brought the Islanders within 2-1 early in the second period. “I think they outworked us a lot tonight. We’ve got to correct that come [Saturday].”
Heineman’s momentum was short-lived as defenseman Brock Faber scored just over a minute later with a shot from the slot that slipped past Rittich.
“I guess you’ve got nights like this,” coach Patrick Roy admitted. “You have nights where you’re on and there’s nights where you’re not on. As a group, we didn’t execute, we didn’t compete as good as they did.”
The Islanders must address their execution and compete harder to rebound on the upcoming road trip.
Author's summary: The Islanders’ lack of execution and effort allowed the Wild to dominate, ending a strong home streak and pressing the team to improve before their road trip.