Islanders open homestand with loss to Stars in shootout
Ilya Sorokin of the Islanders cools off in the second period against the Stars at UBS Arena on Tuesday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
The Islanders began the second half of their season on Tuesday night with a 2-1 shootout loss to the Stars at UBS Arena.
That was the bad news. The good news was that they left the game feeling far better about themselves than they had during a dreary 1-3 road trip.
“Really good effort,” coach Lane Lambert said. “Deserved better. Didn’t get it.”
That was the theme in the losing dressing room as the Islanders (22-17-3) fell to 12-6-1 at home but went toe to toe with the Central Division’s first-place team.
The Stars are 25-11-6.
“We played well,” said captain Anders Lee, who scored the Islanders’ only goal on a first-period power play. “If we play like that, we’re going to put ourselves in a really good spot.
“It was a good rebound game after the trip. Soroky on out, everyone was solid.”
Both goalies, the Islanders’ Ilya Sorokin and Stars’ Jake Oettinger, were on their games, making numerous difficult saves.
“I thought we played a better game than the last few we had,” Brock Nelson said. “Like to be leaving this with two points, but on the positive, you get one.”
Said Noah Dobson, “I thought it was a good game both ways. I thought we deserved to get the two points, but we didn’t. But I think if we bring that same effort night in and night out we’re going to win a lot of hockey games.”
The Islanders have been better at home than on the road, which bodes well given that Tuesday was the first of five games in a row at UBS Arena and the first of eight in 11.
The homestand continues against the Wild on Thursday.
The Stars’ Jason Robertson converted on the first shot of the shootout, and there was no further scoring.
The Islanders’ Mathew Barzal, Anthony Beauvillier and Nelson were stopped by Oettinger.
The Stars scored first, at 3:42 of the opening period, when Joe Pavelski passed from the left circle to Robertson open in front of the Islanders net. He easily beat Sorokin for his 29th goal of the season.
The Islanders played well for long stretches in the period and were rewarded for it with a power play goal at 13:39.
With the Stars’ Radek Faksa off for tripping Alexander Romanov, Nelson fed the puck toward the net and it bounded in off Lee for the tying score.
The Islanders appeared to take the lead in the final minute of the second period, but an apparent goal by Cal Clutterbuck was erased because Anthony Beauvillier was ruled offside. It happened when he tried to get to the bench from the wrong side of the blue line.
“I think you need to be more aware of where you are,” Lambert said.
About five minutes into the third, Sorokin made an excellent skate save on a wraparound attempt by Wyatt Johnston.
With 12 minutes left in regulation time, a Dobson shot hit the crossbar.
Lee had a great chance in front when confronted with a bouncing puck with nine minutes left, but Oettinger gathered it in his goal crease with his left arm.
Oettinger made a big save with two minutes left on a shot by J-G Pageau from the slot off a lovely feed from Hudson Fasching.
Both teams had good chances in the overtime, but the goalies were up to the task.
Sorokin made 25 saves and Oettinger 26.
“We had some really good looks,” Lee said. “I like our chances with our guys in those positions.”
They will get 40 more chances to prove that this regular season.
Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been here since, specializing in high schools, college basketball, the NFL and most recently sports media and business.
