Islanders looked riddled by same old problems in lopsided loss to Wild

SAINT PAUL, Minn. — Forty three games into the season, and the Islanders still have a whole lot of the same problems they did back in October: a penalty kill and defensive zone that isn’t good enough; an overworked No. 1 goaltender; a lack of physicality; a team that, up and down the lineup, is not anywhere nearly consistent enough to play to its potential on a nightly basis.

After putting together one of their worst efforts of the season and losing 5 0 to the Wild on Monday night, all those problems continue to snowball in 2024. The Islanders are 2 5 2 since Dec. 31, out of a playoff spot and now need to win on the second end of a back to back for the first time all year to avoid going below .500 on this road trip through the Central Division.

They are only a point out of getting back to a wild card spot, so it is not as if the season is on the brink. But this is as bad as things have felt since a seven game losing streak in mid November led to coach Lane Lambert being asked about his job status, not just because of the recent results but because of how they have come.

The lack of pushback and level of disinterest on Monday was jarring. The Islanders let Minnesota live in their offensive zone, particularly in a shambolic second period where they were outshot 21 3 over 20 minutes. After a gut punch of a loss on Saturday in Nashville, it was the exact opposite of what the Isles needed — an effort that reflected poorly on everyone who had a hand in it.

The middle period, in which the Islanders played lifeless hockey, ultimately did them in. Connor Dewar extended Minnesota’s lead to 2 0 just 2:18 into the second after Sebastian Aho turned the puck over from behind his own net, allowing Dewar to skate into the slot and get a shot off unimpeded. Joel Eriksson Ek then made it 3 0 on the power play after Bo Horvat’s delay of game penalty, deflecting in Kirill Kaprizov’s feed to the crease with little resistance.

The chances of a comeback from there were nil. The Islanders waved the proverbial white flag by pulling Ilya Sorokin for the final 20 minutes — presumably to rest him in advance of a back to back on Tuesday in Winnipeg — and giving Ken Appleby his first NHL action since January 2018. Even when Kaprizov opened the door a crack by taking a four minute high sticking penalty with a hair under seven minutes to go in the game, Anders Lee closed it right back up by hooking Jake Middleton seven seconds into the man advantage.

Then when the Islanders got back on the power play, they promptly gave up a shorthanded goal to Eriksson Ek — an exclamation point on a night of embarrassment. Marcus Foligno then poured it on by adding a fifth Wild goal with 57 seconds to go. The downward spiral started just minutes into the night.

In a sloppy first period when the Islanders took three penalties — they finished the night with five — and spent too much time in the defensive zone, it only took one trip to the box to hand the Wild a lead. That came 2:11 into the match after Sorokin couldn’t stop a left circle shot from Mats Zuccarello.

All year, the Islanders have dealt with injuries and suffered gut punch loss after gut punch loss. For the most part, they have rolled with the punches. But on Monday, the pain of Alexandre Carrier’s game winner with 7.9 seconds left in Saturday’s loss to the Predators looked as though it had yet to wear off.

Ditto for the wear and tear of the last month, over which the injury situation has taken one step back for each step forward. It’s a tough spot, no one can argue that. But the Islanders need points and sympathy won’t get them any. Back in November, the Islanders ultimately bounced back off that losing streak to put together their best four week stretch of the season and vault right back into playoff contention.

A similar turnaround would do them wonders right now. If efforts like Monday are going to be the norm, though, they might as well take their ball and go home..