Isles' Sloppy Play Against Wild Ends Point Streak at UBS Arena
The Wild scored on their first shot, setting the tone for a tough night for the Islanders. They struggled throughout the game, failing to connect passes, turning the puck over frequently, and being outworked by the Wild. These mistakes were capitalized on, exposing the Islanders' defensive weaknesses.
“I don’t think we executed well at all,” Anders Lee admitted. “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 game ended in a 5-2 loss on Friday at UBS Arena, concluding a 1-1-1 homestand and ending the Islanders' five-game point streak at home. David Rittich made 21 saves in the game. The Islanders (6-6-2) face a quick turnaround to start a seven-game road trip Saturday against the Rangers at Madison Square Garden.
“I think they beat us to a lot,” said Bo Horvat, who assisted Emil Heineman’s goal to bring the Islanders within 2-1 at 4:38 in the second period. “I think they outworked us a lot tonight. We’ve got to correct that come [Saturday].”
Any momentum from Heineman’s goal was quickly erased when defenseman Brock Faber scored from the slot just over a minute later.
“I guess you’ve got nights like this,” coach Patrick Roy said. “You have nights where you’re on and there’s nights where you’re not on. As a group, we didn’t execute, we didn’t compete as good as they did.”
Summary
The Islanders' sloppy execution and turnovers led to a 5-2 loss to the Wild, snapping their home point streak and highlighting the need for better effort and focus on the upcoming road trip.