3 Takeaways: Islanders' Comeback Falls Short in 2-1 Loss to Detroit

The New York Islanders suffered a 2-1 loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night at Little Caesars Arena.
Anders Lee tipped in Noah Dobson's point shot for the Islanders' sole goal of the game with 2:33 to play, but it was not enough to overcome a 2-0 hole. Dylan Larkin scored a power-play goal while Michael Rasmussen also found the back of the net for the Red Wings.

Ilya Sorokin made 37 saves on 39 shots in the loss, while Alex Nedlejkovic made 33 saves on 34 shots in the victory.

ISLANDERS PUSH TOO LITTLE TOO LATE IN REGULATION LOSS

Tuesday's loss featured an honest effort by the Islanders who showed no quit all the way until the final buzzer, but their lack of a full 60-minute effort proved costly. For a team desperately in need of any points they can get, it was a 'disappointing' result for the group.
"There were just too many lapses on our own end that gave them some opportunities to keep momentum," Lee said. "Especially in the second period we got hemmed in a little bit too much and it took the flow away from our game. We ended up chasing for too much of the game tonight. The third period was a lot better, but we need to find a way to be like that all 60."

Down 2-0 with just under three minutes to go in the third period - where the Islanders outshot the Red Wings 15-7 - the Islanders pulled Sorokin in exchange for the extra attacker. As they worked the zone, Dobson launched a shot from the point where Lee redirected the puck from his office, in the goal mouth, and robbed Nedeljkovic of the shutout at 17:27.
While the Islanders were saved by a couple of Detroit misses on their open net, Jean-Gabriel Pageau nearly sent the game into overtime after being sprung in the slot, but his buzzer-beater shot was smothered by Nedeljkovic.
Red Wings 2, Islanders 1
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Despite showing a resilient effort, it was too little too late for the Islanders, who felt they fell short of a full-60 minute effort. They cost themselves the result following a slump in the second period, where they were outshot 18-9 and in the third period, as Detroit capitalized on a turnover.
Following a wide-open scoreless first period, where both teams came out of the gate buzzing and the Islanders were outshot 14-10, the Islanders came out with a short-lived strong start to the second period. That effort lapsed and they eventually found themselves down a goal and outshot 32-19 after two periods of play and trailing 1-0 heading into the third period.
The Red Wings took advantage of their second of three total power plays on the night as Kyle Palmieri went to the box at 9:38 for slashing. Larkin, Detroit's captain and leading goal scorer, drew the first strike for his team as he wired a long-range shot off Sorokin's blocker to give Detroit its 1-0 lead at 10:32.
"We started losing too many battles in our own end and it caused too much zone time," Dobson said. "We were running around a bit and once we fixed our battle level in the third, it was a lot better and we started playing in their end. We have to bring that same battle level that we played with in the third for a full 60."
In the third period, the Islanders ushered a more assertive effort as their offense picked up and they got shots on net and traffic in front of Nedeljkovic, but they couldn't solve the Red Wings' netminder. On an offensive zone turnover, the Red Wings successfully countered en route to their second goal of the game at 12:55. With a 2-on-1 rush charging down the ice, Rasmussen forewent the pass and instead, wired a wrist shot past Sorokin's far side to double Detroit's lead 2-0.

Video: NYI Recap: Lee scores in 2-1 loss to Red Wings

STRONG PERFORMANCE BY SOROKIN IN LOSS

While Sorokin suffered a loss and his record dropped to 7-7-4, the Islanders netminder executed another solid performance for his team as he faced a hefty workload with 37 saves on 39 shots.
As both teams came out flying to set the tone for a high-paced first period and the Islanders hung in with Detroit's transition offense, they were able to head into the first intermission with a 0-0 score largely thanks to Sorokin's succinct stops.
The Islanders' netminder came out with some clutch saves including a furry of chances that the Red Wings mounted just over midway through the period. Sorokin made an acrobatic kick save on an Adam Erne one timer and stopped the subsequent rebound attempt from Filip Zadina. He continued to deny Detroit's onslaught of pressure as he smothered a Vladislav Namestikov jam-in attempt and kept the strong play going as the Islanders took the first penalty of the game at 14:16 on Scott Mayfield's hooking call.
Sorokin's sorcery continued in the second period, especially as the Islanders were outshot 18-9 despite a strong start to the frame, and took their second and third penalties of the game. Midway through the period, the Russian netminder got his toe on a distance shot from Detroit's rookie sensation Moritz Seider at the blueline. Even after Detroit took a 1-0 lead on Larkin's power-play goal, which trickled off Sorokin's arm, the Islanders goaltender came up with some key saves to keep his team trailing by only 1-0 heading into the third period.
In the third period, Sorokin continued to puzzle Detroit's attackers with his big saves, but the fine line for margins of errors was the end result of Tuesday's outcome.

Video: DET 2 vs NYI 1: Barry Trotz

BEAUVILLIER AND MARTIN RETURN TO LINEUP

With Mathew Barzal placed in COVID-19 protocols, as announced by the team following Tuesday's morning skate, Anthony Beauvillier and Matt Martin returned to the lineup.
Beauvillier rejoined the lineup after being a healthy scratch in the Islanders' 4-2 victory over New Jersey on Saturday night. Beauvillier skated alongside Brock Nelson and Josh Bailey.
Beauvillier brought his usual darting speed and tenacious forecheck to the lineup in his return.
The winger nearly scored in the second period, but his positioning behind the Red Wings net made it a tough angle to convert on the wide-open net as a point shot deflected off the boards and fell straight to him. He also led the charge in a 3-on-1 rush with his line late in the second period, but Nedeljkovic miraculously swatted away Nelson's attempt. Beauvillier also hustled to break up a two-on-one, stripping Pius Suter of the puck.
"He used his assets," Trotz said of Beauvillier. "His assets are his quickness, his speed and he did that. I thought he was more noticeable tonight than he has been in quite some time, which is a positive for us because he is a part of the core. He has to have an impact night-in and night-out. That's what is expected. His first game back was OK, it's better than it has been for sure."
Martin, who grew up in Windsor, Ontario just across the Detroit river, returned to the lineup against his hometown team after being healthy scratched since Dec. 4 due to a 'nagging' injury per Trotz. Martin played alongside his usual linemates Casey Cizikas and Cal Clutterbuck.

NEXT GAME:

The Islanders return to UBS Arena on Thursday night to host the Boston Bruins. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.