Islanders don't want to move in reverse following win streak
Islanders defenseman Ryan Pulock passes as Red Wings center Dylan Larkin defends in the first period of an NHL game Saturday n Detroit. Credit: AP/Paul Sancya
The end of a winning streak has brought the need to avoid a losing streak.
The Islanders will open their week with a tough back-to-back starting on Monday night at UBS Arena against the Flames, who have gotten off to a so-so start but were a popular preseason Stanley Cup pick. The Islanders will face the Rangers on Tuesday night in their first of two visits to Madison Square Garden.
“We’re going to regroup and then get ready for the next game,” goalie Semyon Varlamov said. “After a loss, it’s always important to win the next one.”
Varlamov likely will start against the Rangers because he’s had shutouts in each of his last four starts at the Garden, with Ilya Sorokin facing the Flames.
The Islanders (7-5-0) had their five-game winning streak snapped as they ended a three-game Midwest swing with a 3-0 loss to the Red Wings on Saturday afternoon.
“Every night you’re matching up against a tough team, so every night is important,” defenseman Ryan Pulock said. “We’ve got a back-to-back here. Regroup. Focus on the first one. Play our game, that’s the biggest thing. We can’t really worry about who we’re playing. It’s just a matter of playing the right way and playing the way we play, and that’s how we have success.”
The Islanders played with a sound defensive structure and were able to move quickly in transition, leading to an aggregate 22-9 score during their winning streak. The streak started with a 3-0 win over the Rangers on Oct. 26 in the teams’ only game at UBS Arena this season. Sorokin made 41 saves against the Rangers in the Islanders’ lone shutout this season.
The Islanders had trouble connecting on passes for the first two periods against the Red Wings, resulting in their being shut out for the first time this season.
Coach Lane Lambert said his team did not play “fast enough.”
“We didn’t execute maybe as well as we wanted to,” he said. “It wasn’t just on the defensemen. It’s everyone. So we have to be better.”
Still, Lambert is pleased with much of the Islanders’ play.
“You look at it [Saturday’s loss] just like we do a win, and we see things that we liked about it because there were some things to like about it,” Lambert said. “Then we’ll see things that we have to correct and move forward. It’s a busy week coming up and we’ve got games Monday and Tuesday and we have to be ready for them.”
The Islanders will host the Coyotes and Blue Jackets on Thursday and Saturday, respectively, before embarking on a four-game road trip.
Notes & quotes: The Islanders loaned defenseman Robin Salo to their AHL affiliate in Bridgeport. There was no need for an extra seventh defenseman on the roster with four games in New York this week. Salo has two goals in four games but has not played since Oct. 20.
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
