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Seven games into UBS Arena, the Islanders have yet to hear an ovation after a home win.
Instead, it’s the rustling of bodies leaving seats and turning out of the building, with scattered boos providing the backdrop. That was the scene on Thursday night, again, as the Isles fell, 4-3, to the Predators after Eeli Tolvanen’s late game-winner. His goal with 11.5 seconds left snapped a four-game points streak and extinguished any momentum from ending an 11-game losing streak Tuesday in Ottawa.
Despite scoring the game’s first goal, despite staying in it until the end, it was the same old nightmare when the final horn sounded. The Islanders have played better — much better — in their last five games, the shift reflecting a lineup that no longer resembles that of an AHL team thanks to players coming off the COVID-19 protocol list. But they’ve converted just one of those efforts into a win.
“It’s a tough one to swallow,” Anders Lee said. “Give ourselves the lead, third period. We weren’t able to shut it down. This one sucks.”
The Islanders (6-11-5) held a third-period lead after Noah Dobson’s go-ahead goal at 5:08 in the period, but just like on Sunday after Dobson scored dramatically to tie it against the Blackhawks, the Isles couldn’t convert the momentum into a win.
After Dobson’s goal, they had to defend for nearly 15 minutes. They lasted until the 12:31 mark in the third when Yakov Trenin swatted a puck past Semyon Varlamov to tie the game at three.
And with 11.5 seconds to go in the game, Tolvanen provided the final gut punch, redirecting Roman Josi’s shot from the point past Varlamov for the game-winner. Despite the goal earlier in the period, Dobson turned it over on the play leading to the goal. Earlier in the sequence, Nashville goaltender David Rittich appeared to play the puck outside the trapezoid, but the violation went uncalled.
“We can’t blame the refs or whatever playing the puck out of the trapezoid after a game like that,” Adam Pelech said. “We know we were in a position to win [or] at least get a point there and that’s on us.”
After giving up the tying and winning goals, Varlamov finished 25 of 29 in net. For Nashville, Rittich stopped 18 of 21 shots.
After the game, Islanders coach Barry Trotz was asked about the defensive breakdowns that led to the collapse.
“I don’t know if they’re uncharacteristic or not,” he said.
Though Trotz noted the Islanders limited chances and perhaps deserved a point or two, this postgame had a different feel. While the team has stayed upbeat after losses recently, this one was more deflating.
“They had really nothing,” Trotz said. “I thought our third [period] was fine. I thought we were going to overtime there.”
“When you go through a tough stretch,” added Josh Bailey, “it can rattle you a little bit.”
Consider the Islanders rattled.
Early in the game, the Islanders had momentum after Austin Czarnik opened the scoring off a breakaway at 6:48 of the first period. The UBS Arena crowd was fired up a few minutes later when Zdeno Chara dropped the gloves with Trenin following a hit on Sebastian Aho along the boards.
Trenin’s face was bloodied in the fight, but it was Aho who made an untimely error at 17:28 of the period that led to Ryan Johansen’s tying goal. Just over a minute later, Colton Sissons put the Predators up 2-1, cleaning up a rebound left free in the crease.
Lee tied it up at two within two minutes of the second period starting, getting to a loose puck in the crease and putting it past Rittich. The Islanders, though, failed to generate much momentum from that goal, spending a long stretch of the period defending their own end.
That was symptomatic of a larger issue: the Islanders struggled for zone exits and breakouts against Nashville’s forecheck.
“They were kind of all over us,” Pelech said. “I think we need to get back in the mindset of attacking.”
The team was upbeat after not just getting a win, but scoring five even-strength goals against the Senators. With Brock Nelson and Casey Cizikas ever closer to returning to the lineup, this felt like a chance to string together momentum and start making up points.
Not so.
Through seven home games, the Islanders have just three points at their new arena — all overtime losses.
Eventually, they will get a win in this building. But at this rate, by the time that happens it could be too little, too late.
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