The New York Islanders peppered goaltender Cam Talbot with 13 shots in the final frame, but were edged out by Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid in overtime.
- Edmonton Oilers (5-8-1, 11 points) 2
- New York Islanders (8-5-2, 18 points) 1
- NYI Goals: Jordan Eberle (5)
- EDM Goals: Leon Draisaitl (4), Connor McDavid (6)
- Box Score, NHL Final
- Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY
The New York Islanders fell just short in their pursuit of a second point against the Edmonton Oilers Tuesday evening.
A quick look at the box score should be enough to infuriate Islanders fans. The Islanders outshot the Oilers by a margin of 37-25, yet fell 2-1 in overtime thanks to one of Connor McDavid’s finest offensive displays this season.
The loss was a tough one to swallow for the Islanders, but the team’s effort was exactly how a good hockey club loses a game. From the puck drop in the first period, New York had a fantastic offensive showing, with no shortage of quality opportunities to go around.
Leon Draisaitl put the Oilers on the scoresheet first, squeezing a soft goal past Thomas Greiss to give the Oilers the edge two minutes into the 2nd period. Just under three minutes later, Jordan Eberle delivered poetic justice to his former team, dishing another highlight-worthy Mathew Barzal pass top shelf past goaltender Cam Talbot.
As far as McDavid’s OT winner goes, it was a gorgeous display of pure offensive skill. I understand if you want to forget this, but for those who appreciate a well-drawn play, enjoy.
Doug Weight was disappointed, not embarrassed by the effort his team displayed, per Cory Wright of NHL.com:
“It’s a sour taste in your mouth, but we played well, we really cleaned up defensively against a good team,” Head Coach Doug Weight said. “It was a great play, a great shot. That’s what overtime is, it goes from a grade-A opportunity to a bounce off a skate and then the other team gets a chance.”
Onward
The Islanders had nothing to be upset about in their effort, only the outcome. As long as this kind of play continues for their back-to-back contests this weekend, there’s no reason why they can’t make up some ground and walk away with three of four points against Dallas and St. Louis on this mini road trip.
The Islanders powerplay, which entered white-hot, cooled off significantly. Just like in several, if not all, of their losses — the powerplay doomed them once again. Botched entries and sloppy passing helped bury the Islanders’ momentum on the man advantage as they went 0/3.
Ryan Strome was welcomed back into the Barclays Center for the first time since the deal that sent him to Edmonton for Jordan Eberle. The Islanders thanked his 258 games as a member of the Islanders with a touching video tribute met by a positive response from a full crowd at the Barclays Center.
As far as standings go, the Islanders did get some help from the Devils who lost 3-1 to the St. Louis Blues, and their rival New York Rangers faceoff against the Boston Bruins tonight.
All in all, the Islanders are in a great spot considering it’s already inching closer to mid-November. Considering their sluggish start is what doomed them last season, maintaining the top wild-card playoff spot in the Eastern Conference at this point in the season will only continue to improve their post-season odds.
The focus shifts to their road trip this weekend and heading back home with as many points possible.