Notebook: Isles Lose to Coyotes 2-1

The New York Islanders were able to snap their goal drought, but saw their losing streak extend to three games after a 2-1 loss to the Arizona Coyotes on Monday afternoon at Gila River Arena.
Clayton Keller and Conor Garland put the Coyotes up 2-0, while Anthony Beauvillier scored the lone goal for the Islanders; their first tally in over two-and-a-half games. Antti Raanta made 28 saves, while Semyon Varlamov stopped 30 of 32 in the loss. The loss marked the Islanders' first three-game regulation losing streak in two seasons under Barry Trotz.
BOXSCORE | TROTZ POSTGAME

"That's hockey sometimes it's going to go your way and sometimes it's not," Derick Brassard said. "The only thing we're thinking about is our game and tonight we felt pretty good about our game. We felt like it could have gone either way and that we could have scored a few in the third or the second as well. Our game was a lot better tonight and that's a positive sign for our team."

Monday marked another frustrating outing for the Islanders offense, who have been limited to one goal in the first three games of their Western Conference road trip. It wasn't for lack of trying on Monday, as they compiled 72 shot attempts against the Coyotes.
Like Saturday night's 1-0 loss to Vegas, the Isles created a bevy of chances couldn't get a bounce to go their way. The Isles finished the night with three clanks off the iron, including Jordan Eberle whistling a shot off the post in the first, while Nick Leddy put one off the crossbar in the second period.
The closest call of the night came when Devon Toews' toss from the corner hit the inside of the post and was about three-quarters over the line before Raanta kicked it out. Eberle wound up jamming the puck into the net under the Coyotes' goalie, but the play was immediately called off by the refs.
"You talk about a game of inches, it's really a game of centimeters right now," Trotz said. "We just have to battle through it. Our team kept battling and that's a real positive. As much as they deserved to win that game, so did we."

The Isles offensive frustrations through the first two periods were contrasted by Keller's icebreaker, as the Coyotes forward threw a puck on net that deflected off Leddy before getting past Varlamov at 4:58 of the first. Garland extended the Coyotes lead to 2-0 at 3:53 of the third, finishing off a spinning, no-look backdoor feed from Christian Dvorak.
Down 2-0, the Isles were able to cut into the Coyotes lead, as Beauvillier deflected an Andy Greene shot past Antti Raanta at 6:42 of the third period. The goal halted the Isles shutout streak at 166:46 and marked their first tally in the first three games of their current road trip.
The goal gave the Islanders some life, but the stingy Coyotes - who have allowed the fifth-fewest goals-per-game this season - shut the door down the stretch. (Arizona improved to 19-1-4 when leading after two periods.)
Even with the lack of offense over the past three games, Lee said the Islanders will try to stay positive and trust the process.
"[These are] close games. We're playing fine hockey, we're just not putting it in the back of the net," Lee said. "It's that final step, it's that final bounce. Sometimes it goes in off of someone's skate or whatever it is. Right now it's just not going our way. We've got to continue to fight and continue to stay together. We'll come through. Just right now it sucks."

GREENE MAKES ISLANDERS DEBUT:

Andy Greene was waking up from a pre-game nap in New Jersey when he got the call that he'd been traded to the New York Islanders and 24 hours later, he was taking warmups for the Isles in Arizona.
There was a lot to take in for the Islanders newest defenseman, from new teammates to new systems and terminology, but the 37-year-old veteran fit in well, skating 19:46 TOI and picking up an assist in his Isles debut.
"It's like a ducks legs under water," Greene said of a whirlwind 24 hours. "Just sitting there trying to make simple plays and simple reads there and ease myself into the game and go from there. The guys have been very welcoming. It was a great few hours before the game. I'm looking forward to continuing to build something with these guys."

Greene looked as advertised on Monday, bringing a steady presence on the blue line. Brought in to help the Islanders' PK, Greene skated 2:32 shorthanded - tied for most among Isles blueliners - and came up with a block on a Christian Dvorak shot from the slot to keep the Isles within reach with five minutes to play. He also finished the night with two shots.
"I really liked his game. That's what the doctor ordered," Trotz said. "He's poised, he handled their top line. He was a good compliment for Pully. He'll definitely be a good pickup for us."

NEXT GAME:

The Islanders wrap up their four-game road trip on Wednesday vs Colorado. Puck drop is at 10 p.m. eastern.