ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Islanders had seven defensemen of their lineup Sunday, and at occasions, not considered one of them appeared keen to put a success.
It’s been a quiet via line for a lot of the season, the dearth of edge and physicality inherent of their sport.
You could possibly see it within the first interval Saturday in opposition to San Jose, when Ilya Sorokin bailed them out repeatedly.
You could possibly see all of it evening Sunday in opposition to the Geese, when Anaheim accomplished a season sweep over the Islanders 4-1 on the Honda Middle on an evening when a win would have jumped the Isles over three groups within the standings and put them inside two factors of a playoff spot.
Too typically, the Islanders are too simple to play in opposition to.
For a crew that constructed its id and success over the other ethos for a lot of the period that presently appears to be drawing to an in depth, that is one thing that have to be addressed within the offseason, when extra substantive change is anticipated to return.
For the current, the Islanders haven’t any alternative however make do with what they’ve, which on Sunday meant defenseman Adam Boqvist lining up because the fourth-line heart with Kyle MacLean out attributable to sickness.
Shedding MacLean, a straight-line participant who can carry some bodily vitality when he’s on his sport, didn’t assist issues in opposition to Anaheim.
The younger, expert Geese acquired up ice early and infrequently in opposition to an Islanders crew that appeared fascinated with utilizing solely their sticks to defend — no our bodies.
Marcus Hogberg, taking part in his first sport since Jan. 25 after being activated from injured reserve earlier within the day, stopped 22 photographs.
That together with a first-period theft on Isaac Lundeström along with his proper skate and a penalty shot from Jansen Harkins, however Hogberg couldn’t maintain the home from crumbling all by himself.
Quietly, the Islanders had received 4 of their previous 5 going into Sunday, however the passivity on show from the soar was straight out of their blowout defeat final week at Madison Sq. Backyard.
Sam Colangelo struck first for Anaheim, beating Hogberg on a free look under the suitable dot at 17:52 of the primary after regular stress from the Geese.
Drew Helleson doubled the lead 14:56 into the second with a shot from the suitable level, the place Hogberg seemed to be screened following a sequence through which Pierre Engvall — 0-for-5 on the dots rather than MacLean, with the Islanders electing to not have Boqvist take attracts — misplaced a faceoff.
Simply 43 seconds into the third, Mason McTavish extinguished any comeback hopes with a power-play purpose off the push to make it 3-0.
Head coach Patrick Roy’s trademark extraordinarily early goalie pull didn’t repay, with Colangelo additional extending the lead by placing the puck into an empty web with 11:42 to go in regulation.
Tony DeAngelo broke the shutout with a late purpose for the Islanders, however that was the one comfort prize.
It’s going to be an uphill battle for the Islanders within the wild-card race, and it will be a wierd, transitional six weeks to shut out the common season with Brock Nelson gone.
Whereas nobody is giving up on the season, if the eight seed had been the be-all and end-all, then Nelson wouldn’t have been traded. Everybody ought to perceive that.
Nonetheless, even on a back-to-back, and even with a patchwork lineup, this was not a sport the Islanders may afford to lose.
And shedding Nelson doesn’t account for the dearth of defensive construction that was on show at occasions in San Jose and once more in Anaheim.
Precisely what the Islanders are able to proper now’s a query that can take time to reply.
However certainly it’s greater than they confirmed Sunday.
