CHICAGO — Meet the more healthy Islanders, identical because the injured Islanders.
It’s by no means easy, by no means simple and there’s all the time disappointment proper across the nook.
If anybody thought Sunday was the prospect for the Islanders to put in writing the primary chapter of the turnaround of their season, with Mat Barzal and Adam Pelech again within the lineup, with the prospect to get above NHL .500, with the prospect to get right into a playoff spot and with an opponent on the backside of the league, all these aspirations went “splat” into the United Middle ice.
The Islanders as a substitute put forth a disjointed and disconnected efficiency, shedding 5-3 to the Blackhawks on Connor Bedard’s late winner as the blokes they had been nonetheless lacking — specifically Bo Horvat and Anthony Duclair — caught out greater than the blokes who returned.
Regardless of the well being standing of the lineup, failing to comb this home-and-home that appeared like such a golden schedule alternative will hang-out the Islanders.
After they misplaced on this constructing final 12 months, the top coach received fired the subsequent day.
Patrick Roy is in no such hazard, however that his staff can’t put forth a constant or cohesive sufficient recreation to stack factors even when the schedule is gentle tells you that the issues when he took over final January prolonged far past the top coach — and an entire lot of them nonetheless aren’t fastened.
The overriding theme on this one was the Islanders’ incapability to string passes, mixed with messy defensive-zone construction.
That was not helped by Barzal, who appeared early on like he was nonetheless very a lot working his manner into issues and mishit passes out of the offensive zone a minimum of 4 instances within the first 20 minutes.
However he was removed from the one wrongdoer — this was a staff effort in each sense.
Nonetheless, a 3-2 deficit going into the third interval following Teuvo Teravainen’s go-ahead, five-on-three purpose appeared manageable.
Certainly it was, as Noah Dobson reduce to the slot and completed by means of visitors to tie the sport simply 47 seconds into the third interval.
The place the Islanders had struggled to finish passes and be in the correct locations early on, these issues instantly melted away within the final 20 minutes.
The forecheck instantly hummed and the Isles dominated possession as they looked for a game-winner.
What they didn’t do, nonetheless, was rating.
And when the Blackhawks lastly received a grade-An opportunity, with 54 seconds to go in regulation, they made the Islanders pay.
Connor Bedard completed a free puck with a shot that went by means of the legs of Ilya Sorokin and trickled in, with the goalie shedding monitor of the puck because it crossed the road in sluggish movement.
Even for a staff that focuses on brutal losses, this one had some further kick in it, with Connor Murthy’s empty-netter sealing the deal.
Chicago took benefit of the Islanders’ struggles within the defensive zone when an uncovered Ilya Mikheyev transformed Teravainen’s feed to the low slot for a 1-0 lead 9:08 into the match.
The Islanders recovered to tie the sport on Ryan Pulock’s level shot by means of visitors on the 18:43 mark, however lower than a minute later squandered the prospect to enter the dressing room tied, shedding monitor of Taylor Corridor and watching him rating with 20 seconds left within the first interval.
Simon Holmstrom — whose profitable puck battle arrange Pulock’s purpose — received on the board himself 2:25 into the second, ending Pierre Engvall’s feed to the crease.
It appeared just like the Islanders may prolong their lead when Corridor went off for tripping on the 13:02 mark, however consecutive penalties by the Isles then arrange Chicago at five-on-three — which was promptly transformed by Teravainen.
Mix the structural points Sunday with the messy final 10 minutes Thursday evening — towards the identical staff — and instantly it appears to be like like a priority.
As a substitute of turning over a brand new leaf on the season, this ended up being the identical previous inconsistencies.
