Isles' Sloppy Play Against Wild Halts Point Streak at UBS Arena
The Minnesota Wild scored on their first shot, setting the tone for a rough night as the New York Islanders fell 5-2 on Friday at UBS Arena. The Islanders struggled throughout, missing passes, committing turnovers, and getting outworked by their opponent.
“I don’t think we executed well at all,” captain Anders Lee said. “We were clearly off from the start. When we struggle to break the puck out and turn the puck over, it’s going to be a long night.”
The loss ended the Islanders’ five-game home point streak and wrapped up a 1-1-1 homestand. With this defeat, the team sits at 6-6-2. Goalie David Rittich made 21 saves in the effort.
“I think they beat us to a lot,” said Bo Horvat, who assisted Emil Heineman’s goal that cut the deficit to 2-1 early in the second period. “They outworked us quite a bit tonight. We’ve got to fix that by Saturday.”
Any momentum from Heineman’s goal quickly evaporated when defenseman Brock Faber’s shot found its way past Rittich just over a minute later.
“I guess you’ve got nights like this,” coach Patrick Roy said. “Some nights you’re on, and some nights you’re not.”
The Islanders will have little time to dwell on the loss as they begin a seven-game road trip Saturday night against the Rangers at Madison Square Garden.
Author’s Summary
The Islanders’ careless play led to a 5-2 loss to the Wild at UBS Arena, snapping their five-game home point streak before a challenging road stretch begins.