The New York Islanders had themselves quite the facelift in the offseason: a new general manager in Mathieu Darche and a first overall pick in Matthew Schaefer had fans excited for the new hockey season. The Islanders would look to keep this excitement going in their season opener against the Pittsburgh Penguins, who handily defeated the New York Rangers on Tuesday.
The Islanders earned themselves a quick start to the game, but looked disjointed in their approach. Following a regroup by Mat Barzal, the Islanders peppered Tristan Jarry with shots. Both Schaefer and Max Shabanov had uneventful first shifts in the league.
A delayed high-sticking penalty against Alexander Romanov sent the Islanders on their first penalty kill of the season. New York had the second-worst kill last season. A poor read by Ilya Sorokin allowed an early goal by Evgeni Malkin. In his Islanders debut, Emil Heineman tried to take advantage of a giveaway by Erik Karlsson, but was unable to get a real shot off. Barzal was looking solid in his first game back since his injury last season, skating like his usual self. A delay of game penalty gave the Islanders their first power play of the season, but the New York team was unable to take advantage of the opportunity. Following some back and forth, the Islanders sustained some offensive zone pressure. Schaefer found his way up the right side of the ice after the puck came out of the zone, creating some pressure on the Penguins defense. Sneaking over to the left, Schaefer made an easy pass to Jonathan Drouin, who snapped it over Jarry, earning his first goal as an Islander and Schaefer’s first point in the NHL. (Schaefer is now the youngest defenseman to score a point in his NHL debut, at 18 years, 34 days old.)
The Penguins were able to find their way back to the attack in the final minutes of the period. The teams spent a decent amount of time in the Islanders’ zone to end the frame, with New York looking a bit tired.
The second period also saw a fiery start for the New York team. Despite having Jarry out of position, the Islanders could not sneak the puck past he goal line, leaving the game tied early in the frame. A strong pass up the ice by Romanov created a chance for Casey Cizikas, although it ws quickly gloved down by Jarry. Schaefer and Mayfield were able to thwart an attack by three Penguins, sending the puck to Kyle Palmieri. A pass to Barzal sent him through the neutral zone, chipping the puck back to Palmieri, who was able to wrist it past Jarry to give the Islanders the 2-1 lead. J.G. Pageau was almost able to score off the rush, but Jarry came up with the save out of nowhere. A weird play in the neutral zone left the Islanders flat-footed, with Scott Mayfield not able to properly defend a centering pass to Harrison Brunicke, who earned his first NHL goal and tied the game. A quick scuffle followed after a hit from Heineman, but neither team was assessed a penalty. Yet another scrum ensued after some shoving in front of Jarry. Palmieri and Parker Wortherspoon were both handed penalties for this encounter, sending the game to four-on-four play. With 17 seconds remaining in special teams play, Bo Horvat hooked Anthony Mantha. After being forced to his knee in front of the net, Sidney Crosby made a quick adjustment of his stick to tap the puck past Sorokin on a pass from Malkin. The remainder of the period saw a penalty a piece and quite a bit of back and forth. With the seconds winding down in the middle frame, a giveaway by Mantha resulted in another milestone: a nasty snap from Shabanov in the circle, earning his first NHL goal in his first NHL game, and sending the teams to the third period tied at three.
New York took a penalty just 2:15 into the third. The visitors were able to defend against their fifth penalty kill of the night. The third period saw a decent effort from both teams, but was rather uneventful following the Pittsburgh power play. One of the most notable aspects of the third (and the game) was the speed of Schaefer. Islanders fans should look forward to his speed and hope that the rest of the team follows suit. Sorokin also continued to showcase his skill in the paint, earning himself a few new saves for his highlight reel. A takeaway by Malkin once again left the Islanders flat-footed, allowing Justin Brazeau to earn his third goal of the season and giving the Penguins a late lead. The momentum remained with the home team for some time. Ben Kindel was sent off for hooking Adam Pelech, giving the Islanders a crucial man-advantage. Sorokin left the net with over 2:30 remaining, sending a sixth man out for the power play. Despite the two-man advantage, the Islanders were unable to tie the game on the power play. Now six-on-five, the Islanders continued to pressure the Penguins and pepper Jarry with shots, but could not find a way to the back of the net. Horvat found a great chance against Jarry but failed to find the back of the net. The Islanders kept the pressure but could not convert. With 14.2 seconds remaining, a scuffle in front of the net sent Drouin off for a five-minute major cross-check and, ultimately, a 10-minute game misconduct. Drouin had been on the ice for over four minutes when the scuffle began. The late face-off in the Islanders’ zone sent Sorokin back to his paint, leaving the Islanders with only seconds to tie the game. A late pass up the ice from Pelech set up Barzal for a good shot, but Jarry saved the game for the Penguins.
Looking ahead for the Islanders
The Islanders looked good for a season opener on the road, especially when looking at Schaefer and Sorokin. The season will likely consist of many conversations surrounding neutral zone composure and special teams for New York, but the game did have both positive and negative takeaways.
The New York Islanders head home for their home opener against the Washington Capitals on Saturday, October 11 at 7 p.m. Long Islanders will likely be on their feet for Matthew Schaefer’s home debut and excited for the season to pick up.
