For all of the ceiling the Islanders had proven simply two days prior, right here got here the thud that has acted as a metronome to the season’s first 35 video games.
Simply when there have been indicators of the Islanders turning the nook, simply once they had performed their greatest recreation of the season, simply once they had gotten wholesome, simply once they may relegate the Rangers to final place within the Metropolitan Division over Christmas — and all they needed to do was beat the worst staff within the league at dwelling? Thud.
On this Festivus, the Islanders went down like George Costanza within the Feats of Energy. They adopted up their greatest recreation of the season by enjoying their worst on Monday evening, getting skated off the UBS Enviornment ice in opposition to the Thirty second-ranked staff within the 32-team NHL, permitting the Sabres to snap a 13-game shedding streak in a 7-1 blowout, with followers chanting for common supervisor Lou Lamoriello to be fired all through the again half of the sport.
“Each and every guy in this room, we know we have a heck of a lot better than that,” Bo Horvat mentioned. “If we want to be in contention or even close to a playoff spot, that’s unacceptable effort. We know that and obviously have to nip that in the bud.”
The loss meant as a substitute of the Rangers sitting within the Metropolitan basement over the vacation, the Islanders have been as a substitute occupying the underside spot due to Columbus beating Montreal.
And as a substitute of fashioning collectively a neat little narrative about lastly hitting their stride, right here got here all the identical points which have plagued the Islanders all season lengthy.
The place the Islanders had performed with apparent objective and relentless physicality in Toronto two nights earlier, they got here out fully flat and hung Ilya Sorokin out to dry.
Beginning his eleventh straight recreation, Sorokin stopped simply 15 of 20 pictures over the primary two intervals, then stayed in for the third to see out the tip of this catastrophe, with coach Patrick Roy citing goalie coach Piero Greco’s advice as the rationale for why.
“We should be embarrassed, obviously, in front of our fans to do that,” Horvat mentioned. “In front of our goaltender, who’s bailed us out a lot over his career. It was just an unacceptable effort by us tonight.”
Towards a reeling Buffalo staff, the Islanders didn’t seize the initiative and failed to ascertain a forecheck, peeling off as a substitute of ending hits and ceding floor in entrance of their very own web. And the penalty kill was, proper again on schedule, horrible.
Sound acquainted? It ought to. Solely this was worse.
The Islanders put up an terrible 16 pictures on purpose by the primary 40 minutes, scoring solely after taking place 5-0. There was not sufficient lipstick within the constructing to cowl this pig.
By the tip of the primary interval, the Islanders had already ceded a pair of objectives to Beck Malenstyn and Jiri Kulich, each across the web and the latter coming seconds after a Sabres energy play had ended — a purpose that fell on the penalty kill in spirit if not on the scoresheet.
Simply to drive dwelling the purpose, the PK made positive the following one was official, with Jason Zucker’s blast beating Sorokin at five-on-four to make it simply 15 power-play objectives allowed in 32 tries for the Islanders at dwelling this season.
Zach Benson and Jack Quinn added two extra for the Sabres lower than three minutes aside on the finish of the second interval, with boos and repeated chants calling for Lamoriello to be fired rippling round UBS Enviornment.
These chants saved on going within the third as Tage Thompson and Kulich added two extra objectives.
So as to add harm to insult, Scott Mayfield was hit within the face by a puck with 2:14 to go within the recreation and went to the dressing room after getting checked out by the coach.
“We did some good stuff, but we need to be better in our own building, there’s no doubt about it,” Roy mentioned. “We have to find ways to win games at home. … Our fans deserve better performances from our team.”
It’s 35 video games into the season and the Islanders are wholesome. They simply obtained blown out at dwelling by the worst staff within the NHL. They’re in final place of their division.
“We have nobody to blame but ourselves today,” Horvat mentioned. “You can’t blame anybody but ourselves. Just have to take a big look in the mirror and figure that out.”
They’re operating out of video games to take action.
