BELMONT PARK, N.Y. -- Karel Vejmelka made 33 saves, but the Arizona Coyotes fell 1-0 to the New York Islanders at UBS Arena on Tuesday.
Mathew Barzal scored and Ilya Sorokin made 14 saves for the Islanders, who improved to 2-0-0 on the season. The Coyotes dropped to 1-2-0, and have one game remaining on their season-opening road trip.
Vejmelka sparkled throughout the game, making save after save to help keep the Coyotes within striking distance. The 27-year-old netminder has stopped 66 of the 70 shots he's faced this season, all of which have come against high-power, playoff-caliber offenses.
"He was awesome. He was fantastic," forward Jason Zucker said. "He made some unbelievable saves to keep it 1-0 throughout the game, and we have to help him out a little bit more."
The teams played a scoreless first period, though the Islanders maintained the edge with 11 shots on goal, compared to the Coyotes’ three. Barzal got the Islanders on the board at 3:47 of the second period with a power-play goal, ripping a one-timer past Vejmelka from the top of the circle, which ultimately proved to be the game-winner.
Noah Dobson and Kyle Palmieri assisted on the goal.
The Coyotes were outshot 26-6 through two periods, and head coach André Tourigny said the team needed to get more pucks to the net against Sorokin, who not only finished second in Vezina Trophy voting last season, but ultimately recorded his 17th career shutout -- in just 138 games played.
"Each line has to find their own identity, it's not everybody who can play that high possession game," Tourigny said. "We need to be a little bit simpler."
Arizona challenged the Islanders' defense more in the third, matching New York's shot output 8-8.
The Coyotes' even-strength defense has been rock solid, as the team has given up just two 5-on-5 goals this season. For its part, Arizona has recorded just one at 5-on-5, but Tourigny said he's confident that will come soon, especially given the team's skill level.
"I think the effort is fantastic, I think the commitment is great, I think we played good defensively," he said. "I think we did a lot of good things, a lot of things we can build on. Execution will come, we have the talent."
The Coyotes conclude their roadtrip against the Blues in St. Louis on Thursday before their home opener at Mullett Arena on Saturday. Puck drop is scheduled for 5 pm MST, and will be broadcast on below networks:
WHERE TO WATCH:
• Antenna: 15.2 Phoenix, 9.2 Tucson
• Phoenix Cable: Cox 95
• Tucson Cable: Cox 85, Comcast 1179
Radio: Stream Only (Arizona Coyotes App; Arizona Sports App)
