Isles' sloppy play against Wild ends five-game point streak at UBS Arena
The Wild scored on their first shot and continued to dominate, leading to a 5-2 loss for the Islanders on Friday night. The Islanders struggled throughout the game, failing to connect passes, turning over the puck often, and getting outplayed by the Wild, who capitalized on the Islanders’ mistakes and defensive lapses.
“I don’t think we executed well at all,” said captain Anders Lee. “I think we were clearly off from the get-go. When we struggle to break the puck out and we struggle with our turnovers, it’s going to be a long night.”
The defeat snapped the Islanders’ five-game point streak at home and ended their 1-1-1 homestand. The team, now 6-6-2 overall, received 21 saves from goaltender David Rittich. They are set to begin a seven-game road trip on Saturday night against the Rangers at Madison Square Garden.
Despite the loss, Bo Horvat pointed to the need to rebound quickly. He assisted Emil Heineman’s goal that brought the Islanders within 2-1 early in the second period.
“I think they beat us to a lot,” Horvat said. “I think they outworked us a lot tonight. We’ve got to correct that come Saturday.”
However, the Islanders’ momentum faded when defenseman Brock Faber scored just over a minute later, beating Rittich from the slot.
“I guess you’ve got nights like this,” coach Patrick Roy commented. “You have nights where you’re on and there’s nights where you’re not on.”
The Islanders will look to improve their play in the upcoming road games to regain their early-season form.
Author’s summary
The Islanders’ lackluster performance against the Wild ended their home point streak, highlighting defensive issues and the need for a quick turnaround on their road trip.