Takeaways: Islanders Earn Point in 2-1 OT Loss to Oilers

The New York Islanders picked up an important point on Friday night, but let one get away in a 2-1 OT loss to the Edmonton Oilers at UBS Arena.

Leon Draisaitl scored the OT winner at 3:53 of the extra frame, his second goal of the game and league-leading 49^th tally of the season. Draisaitl’s two goals sandwiched Bo Horvat’s third period tally, which was the Isles lone goal.

Ilya Sorokin stopped 33-of-35 shots in the loss, while Calvin Pickard stopped 24-of-25 shots in the win and picked up the secondary assist on the OT winner.

The loss extended the Isles’ winless stretch to three games, with an 0-2-1 record over that span. The Isles (66 points) are four points back of the Columbus Blue Jackets (70 points) for the second wild card spot with an even amount of games played.

“It was good to come back and get that point,” Horvat said. “They played a pretty solid one themselves and we fell short.”

HOW IT HAPPENED

Patrick Roy was expecting an early Oilers push – and he got it, as Edmonton racked up 17 first period shots. Sorokin was ready for the siege, stopping all 17 shots he saw to keep the game scoreless and allow the Islanders to find their legs. The Islanders did a better job of limiting the Oilers in the second and third periods, holding Edmonton to eight and seven shots in the next two periods.

“Ilya kept us in the game,” Roy said of Sorokin early. “I was very happy the way we bounced back in that second period and third period. I thought we did a lot of good things, and I was pretty proud of our group, how we defended, and the chances that we had.”

Despite a superb Sorokin, the Oilers struck first, as Draisaitl beat Sorokin with a slap shot from just outside the slot at 8:46 for his league-leading 48^th goal of the season.

The Islanders had chances of their own and eventually broke through in the third, as Horvat blocked Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’ point shot, turning the play into a two-on-one. Horvat kept, shot and scored stick side to tie the score 1-1 at 1:21

The Isles continued to press, with Anthony Duclair having a breakaway roll off his stick following a deke, while Hudson Fasching was denied off the rush with five minutes to play in regulation.

“We just have to cash in on those find ways to bury those,” Horvat said. “We’ve had trouble putting the puck in the net the last three games and we have to find a way.”

While the Islanders ultimately fell in overtime for the second time this season to Edmonton, they showed some guts early on. Simon Holmstrom defended a trio with Connor McDavid and Draisaitl without a stick and Adam Pelech laid out to block an Evan Bouchard one-timer, hobbling for the reminder of the shift.

Casey Cizikas and Pierre Engvall nearly won it for the Isles, but soon after, Pickard intercepted an Engvall pass, with McDavid springing Draisaitl for a breakaway and the win.

ENGVALL EARNS ICE TIME, PRAISE:

Engvall had an impactful game for the Islanders, skating 15:36 TOI with four shots on goal, seven total attempts and four hits, which set a new high during his time with the Isles.

Engvall was deployed late in the final minute of a 1-1 game, largely playing in the offensive zone, as well as overtime, where he created chances with Cizikas. The Swedish forward earned praise from Roy after the game, in addition to the increased ice time.

“He had energy tonight. He was skating. He was playing well,” Roy said. “I'm here to win, don't get me wrong here and he deserved to play. That's what I'm asking of him, force me to play him.”

LINEUP NOTES:

Adam Boqvist missed Friday’s game with an upper-body injury and Scott Mayfield drew into the lineup in a corresponding move. Mayfield played on a pairing with Ryan Pulock.

ODDS AND ENDS:

• Leon Draisaitl extended his point streak to 17 games with his second period goal. Draisaitl has 26 points (14G, 12A) over that span.
• The Islanders power play went 0-for-3
• The Islanders penalty kill went 2-for-2
• Horvat won 13-of-17 face-offs (76%)
• JG Pageau won 13-of-18 face-offs (72%)
• Tony DeAngelo had a team-high five shots
• Friday’s loss snapped the Islanders three-game home winning streak vs the Oilers.

NOTABLE QUOTE:

Patrick Roy on the Islanders scoring three goals in three games:

“I would like to see us score more goals, there's no doubt about it, but I thought we had our chances. I have faith in our group, and I believe that eventually the puck will go in… And when you do good things, good things happen.”

NEXT GAME:

After playing the runner-up for last year’s Stanley Cup, the Islanders are going to host the reigning champs on Sunday when they host the Florida Panthers. Puck drop is at 7:30 p.m.