Takeaways: Islanders Fall Behind Early, Lose to Kraken 5-2

The New York Islanders fell behind early on Thursday night and couldn’t climb out of the hole, eventually falling 5-2 to the Seattle Kraken at UBS Arena.

Vince Dunn led the Kraken with three points (1G, 2A), factoring in on Seattle’s first three goals as the visitors jumped out to a 4-0 lead. Tye Kartye, Oliver Bjorkstrand (PPG), Shane Wright (PPG) and Jaden Schwartz (ENG) also scored for the Kraken, who swept the season series from the Islanders.

Noah Dobson and Max Tsyplakov scored third period goals for the Islanders, who got as close as 4-2 before Schwartz iced the game with an empty-netter.

Ilya Sorokin stopped nine of 13 shots in 40 minutes of action, while Marcus Hogberg stopped 11-of-11 in relief in the third period. Joey Daccord stopped 27-of-29 in the win for Seattle.

The loss snapped the Islanders three-game point streak.

“It wasn't good enough,” Ryan Pulock said. “It felt like we just weren't quite connected tonight. We were slow, reacting at times, and we dug ourselves a hole. I think if there's a positive take from it, we didn't quit and we kept fighting in the third but now we got to regroup here and bring a lot better Saturday.”

The Islanders had generally been a stingy first period team this season, with only 17 goals against in the opening frame entering Thursday, but that was not the case against the Kraken, as the Isles came out “a little flat,” according to Kyle Palmieri. Seattle opened the scoring early, with Kartye deflecting a Dunn shot past a sliding Ilya Sorokin at 2:48. The goal capped some early pressure that saw Seattle hem the Islanders in their own zone from the drop the puck.

Seattle extended their lead later in the period, with Bjorkstrand deflecting another Dunn point shot past Sorokin at 16:58. That goal came with two seconds left on a Seattle power play, as the Kraken’s continuous pressure eventually paid off.

The 2-0 deficit after the first period marked the first time all season the Isles had trailed by multiple goals after 20 minutes.

“Any time go down four-nothing at home, it's concerning,” said Palmieri, sporting a bloody and swollen lip. “We just have to find a way to regroup and get ready for the weekend.”

Unfortunately for the Islanders the momentum did not swing back in their favor in the second period, as Dunn hammered a slap shot past Sorokin – and a moving screen from Yanni Gourde – at 3:55.

The Kraken made it 4-0 at 13:05, with Wright wristing a shot stick side on Sorokin on Seattle’s second power play.

“Obviously, we want to be better on the PK,” JG Pageau said. “They get two tonight, so that's a big difference in a game.”

While the shot totals suggested a close gap in chances at both ends, the shot attempts told a different story, with Seattle holding a 42-32 advantage through two periods. The final totals showed a 29-25 shot on goal advantage for the Islanders, largely buoyed by a 14-shot third period.

The Islanders closed the gap in the third period with Dobson netting his second goal of the season at the 11:57 mark, slapping home a puck that was fished out of a goalmouth scramble by Simon Holmstrom.

Tsyplakov made it 4-2 just under four minutes later, as his stick was the last to touch the puck on a Casey Cizikas shot with the Islanders net empty. That was as close as they came, with Schwartz icing the game at 17:20.

LINEUP CHANGES:

Pierre Engvall drew back into the lineup after missing two games as a healthy scratch. Engvall recorded one shot attempt, one hit and one takeaway in 12:01 TOI. Engvall started the game on a line with Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri, but Roy mixed up his lines after getting down 4-0.

Matt Martin came out of the lineup to accommodate Engvall’s return.

ODDS AND ENDS:

• Ryan Pulock recorded his 200^th NHL point with an assist on Tsyplakov’s goal.
• Anders Lee’s three-game goal streak came to an end.
• Marcus Hogberg, who was an emergency recall on Thursday morning, relieved Sorokin in the third period. It marked the first NHL action for Hogberg since April 28, 2021 when he was still a member of the Ottawa Senators.
• The Islanders won 60% of their draws winning 32-of-53.
• Dobson led the team with 23:09 TOI, five shots and nine shot attempts.
• Alexander Romanov had a game-high six hits.
• The Islanders power play went 0-for-3 with five shots.
• The Islanders penalty kill went 0-for-2.

NOTABLE QUOTE:

Head Coach Patrick Roy on tonight’s game:

“There are no moral victories in this game, so we have to come back against Carolina on Saturday and be ready for that game… We can't be happy about our game, and no one in this dressing room is happy about the game. But, I mean, we have to be ready now, what can we do better in the next game to win that game? And that's all that matters.”

NEXT GAME:

The Islanders wrap up a two-game homestand on Saturday night against the Carolina Hurricanes. Puck drop is at 5 p.m.