Islanders fail to gain in Metropolitan, lose to Red Wings

DETROIT-- The New York Islanders failed to gain ground in the Metropolitan Division on Saturday, losing 2-1 to the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena.

The Islanders (41-23-7) remained two points behind the Washington Capitals, who played later Saturday, for first place in the division. Anders Lee scored, and Thomas Greiss made 20 saves for New York, which had won four of five.
"We played a really good game, but we couldn't find a way to put the puck in the net," Islanders center Mathew Barzal said. "I liked the way we played, and I thought we created plenty of chances, but Bernier was great. On a night where the breaks were going our way, we might have scored four or five times in the third period and seven or eight times in the game."
WATCH: [All Islanders vs. Red Wings highlights]
Jonathan Bernier made 41 saves, and Andreas Athanasiou scored twice for Detroit (25-37-10), which ended a four-game losing streak and won for the second time in 14 games (2-9-3). The Red Wings have been eliminated from Stanley Cup Playoff contention.
"That's the type of game we need Andreas to have if he's going to be a full-time center in this league," Detroit coach Jeff Blashill said. "He was very good on both ends of the ice, unlike our last game against Tampa Bay. I didn't like his defense against them, and I showed him some video clips and he went out and did a very nice job."

Bernier was 1-8-4 in his past 15 games.
"It was great to finally get a win, I really wanted that," he said. "I felt really good right off the bat and the guys did a great job in front of me."
Islanders coach Barry Trotz said, "If he doesn't play like he did, we probably win that game 4-1. We must have had 25 quality scoring chances and he kept all but one of them out of the net. But that's how hockey works. There are nights you just don't get rewarded with the way you play."
Athanasiou gave the Red Wings a 2-1 lead at 9:57 of the second period, scoring his 26th goal on a pass from Danny DeKeyser.
"When he got the puck, he looked at the net and saw me sneaking around all alone," Athanasiou said. "We made a little eye contact and he put the puck right on my tape."

Athanasiou is one goal ahead of Dylan Larkin for the Red Wings lead and four from becoming Detroit's first 30-goal scorer in 11 seasons. Marian Hossa (40), Johan Franzen (34), Pavel Datsyuk (32) and Henrik Zetterberg (31) each reached the mark in 2008-09.
"I think that would be a major milestone for this organization, because we haven't had once since 2009," Blashill said. "We don't know if [Athanasiou] is going to end up being a center or a wing, but he's clearly a dynamic player who can have a major offensive impact."
Athanasiou's first of the game made it 1-0 at 2:59 of the first period when his centering pass deflected in off the leg of Islanders defenseman Ryan Pulock.
"The way he's playing right now, I think he'll get [to 30 goals]," Larkin said. "When he's skating the way he did tonight, there aren't too many guys that can defend him. He's so dangerous."
Lee made it 1-1 at 10:18, scoring from the slot with the Red Wings caught in a line change. He has 26 goals this season and has scored in three straight games.

Pulock nearly tied the game at 2-2 with 2:15 remaining, but his shot deflected off the goal post.
"That pretty much summed up the night," Lee said. "He's coming all alone down Broadway and hits the post."

They said it

"I don't see this as a setback. We played a really good game, and if we keep playing that way, we are going to win a lot more games than we lose. We just happened to run into a hot goalie and didn't get some bounces. I'd be happy if we play the same way tomorrow."-- Islanders defenseman Thomas Hickey
"Thirty goals would be a great milestone. That's a lot of goals, for sure, and if I can get there, I'd obviously feel good. It helps that I'm getting more and more comfortable (at center) with every game, every shift and every face-off. I definitely think I'm maturing into the position." -- Red Wings center Andreas Athanasiou

Need to know

Barzal had eight shots on goal, tying his NHL high set Jan. 3 against the Chicago Blackhawks. … Red Wings forward Ryan Kuffner, signed Tuesday after finishing his college career at Princeton, played 7:08 in his NHL debut and missed the net on his only shot attempt. ... Islanders forward Casey Cizikas was scratched because of a lower-body injury.

What's next

Islanders:At the Minnesota Wild on Sunday (6 p.m. ET; FS-N, MSG, ESPN+, NHL.TV)
Red Wings: At the New York Rangers on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; FS-D, MSG, NHL.TV)