3 Takeaways: Islanders Road Trip Ends with 5-2 Loss to Golden Knights

The New York Islanders ended their four-game road trip on a losing note on Saturday night, falling 5-2 to the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena.

Mathew Barzal and Matt Martin scored for the Islanders. Jack Eichel and Nicolas Roy each scored a pair of goals for the Golden Knights, while Pavel Dorofeyev also found the back of the net.

Ilya Sorokin stopped 24 of 29 in the loss, while Logan Thompson stopped 28 of 30 in the win.

With the loss, the Isles went 1-2-1 over the course of their four-game swing. Vegas snapped a two-game losing streak in the process.

“Disappointing ending to [the trip],” Head Coach Lane Lambert said. “Although I thought we did a lot of good things tonight. We had plenty of scoring chances. We just couldn't put it in.”

BREAKDOWNS BREAK GAME OPEN:

The Islanders and Golden Knights were in a 1-1 tie late into the second period, but Vegas scored twice in a 90-second span to break the game open.

Both goals came via defensive zone breakdowns by the Islanders. Pavel Dorofeyev was unguarded at the far post to receive a backdoor feed from Chandler Stephenson after Simon Holmstrom got caught behind the net at 17:11. Nicolas Roy followed it up with the 3-1 tally a minute and a half later, snapping a wrister through a Keegan Kolesar screen at 18:41. The goal was briefly reviewed for goalie interference given Kolesar’s proximity to Ilya Sorokin, but the larger issue was that no Islanders were present to box out the Vegas forward.   

“A couple of mistakes and it turned fast,” Lambert said, adding that he thought outside of that stretch, Saturday may have been the best game of the Isles’ trip.

The two late goals proved to be the turning point in the game, especially with Vegas’ third goal coming on a power play off the failed coach’s challenge. Lambert acknowledged the two mistakes, but felt his team had the better of the overall chances. Saturday night easily could have gone the other way had the Islanders converted a trio of quality chances in the second period. Kyle Palmieri was denied by Logan Thompson on a breakaway early in the frame, while Anders Lee rang a one-timer off the post on a two-on-one rush with Horvat. Horvat also had a good look on a partial breakaway. 

“The second goal they scored there was a mistake made and that can't happen,” Lambert said. “The third goal we kept him to the outside. It’s just one of those things and I don't the goal should have counted. I thought our defensive zone structure was fine tonight… I think we out chanced them [in high-danger opportunities].”

BARZAL AND MARTIN SCORE:

Mathew Barzal and Matt Martin accounted for the Isles offense on Saturday.

Barzal’s goal was a funky one, as his shot from behind the net caromed off Logan Thompson and in. The puck came in and out of the net quickly, so play continued, but was eventually reviewed and ruled a good goal.

Barzal and his linemates had a strong start to the contest, as he, Horvat and Lee combined for nine shots in the game, but a Barzal turnover on a zone exit set off the sequence that led to Roy’s second goal of the game - to make it 5-2 - at 4:20 of the third.

“We got it to 4-2 and then I had a tough turnover that ended up costing us,” Barzal said. “We had all the momentum and kind of gave it back.”

Martin scored his second goal of the season to make it 4-2 early in the third, netting his first goal since Oct. 28, snapping a 10-game goal drought in the process.

Martin also said he felt fine after taking a big hit from behind by Tobias Bjornfot.

END OF THE ROAD:

It was not an easy trip for the Islanders, who started their trip against a Metropolitan Division rival, faced off against the last two Stanley Cup champions and had plenty of long-distance travel in between.

It was fair to wonder if perhaps a little fatigue had set in over the course of four grinding games, especially with a season-high tying 31 blocked shots against Colorado on Tuesday. That also marked an unscheduled appearance for Ilya Sorokin, after the Islanders lost Semyon Varlamov to a lower-body injury early in the game.

The Islanders also lost defenseman Robert Bortuzzo on Tuesday night in Denver, though Scott Mayfield’s return the game prior gave the Isles an injection of rested legs.

The Islanders power play went 2-for-9 on the trip, while the penalty kill allowed four goals on 12 attempts.

“It was a tough road trip, we played some good teams,” Barzal said. “We would have liked to have gotten tonight and I thought Pittsburgh we probably could have had that one. There are little stretches during the season where it doesn’t go your way and you have to bounce back. It’s been a long road trip, so looking forward to getting home.”

NEXT GAME:

The Islanders return home for two games, taking on the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday night at UBS Arena. Puck drop is at 7:30 p.m.