3 Takeaways: Isles Earn Point in 2-1 SO Loss to Kraken 

The New York Islanders squeezed a point out of a 2-1 shootout loss to the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday night at UBS Arena.

Kyle Palmieri (PPG) scored for the Islanders in regulation, while Matty Beniers scored for Seattle, but after a scoreless overtime, Tomas Tatar ultimately scored the game-deciding goal in a three-round shootout. The Islanders penalty kill went 2-for-2, while their power play went 1-for-3.

Ilya Sorokin made 29 saves in a strong performance, while Philipp Grubauer made 26 saves in his first game since Dec. 9 in a game that snapped a three-game losing streak for Seattle.

“We were our own worst enemy tonight, we didn’t manage the puck the way we should have,” Head Coach Patrick Roy said. “They played well, they were probably pissed about their loss against New Jersey last night and we knew they were going to be on top of us. It was a hard-fought game.”

The two meetings of the season series came down to a shootout, with the Isles earning a point in each SO defeat as New York fell 4-3 in a shootout in Nov. 16 in Seattle. 

In a crucial stretch where every point matters to get to the postseason, the extra point helps but the Islanders didn't make much progress. The New Jersey Devils won 4-2 over the Nashville Predators to pull one point ahead of the Islanders in the standings, though the Isles have a game in-hand.

SPECIAL TEAMS SECURE POINT FOR ISLES

With nothing coming easy for at five-on-five, the Islanders needed a solid performance on the penalty kill and for their power play to convert in order to push the contest past regulation.

Down 1-0 after a Matty Beniers goal, the Islanders used their power play to tie the score after Casey Cizikas drew a boarding penalty. Mathew Barzal recovered the puck behind the net and sent a nifty pass to Kyle Palmieri in front of the net, who buried his 15th goal and seventh power-play goal of the season. The tally also extended his point streak to six games (4G, 3A), which ties a career high.

Barzal also extended his point streak to six games (3G, 5A) with the primary assist on the play.

The Islanders had a huge opportunity in the form of a double minor in the first period. Although they were not able to capitalize on the chance, they sustained significant offensive zone time registered three shots on goal. According to Head Coach Patrick Roy, his team’s best chances came on the power play, rather than five-on-five.

“I just feel like we didn’t generate many chances five-on-five,” Roy said. “Our best chances came from the power play. I didn’t feel like we generated much offense.”

Giveaways bit the Islanders against the Kraken, as the Isles ended the night with 23 turnovers, which resulted in prime chances for Seattle.

“We need to be better at managing the puck,” Roy said. “We need to simplify our game and down on our turnovers. It’s hard to win games when you do that, it’s almost like you’re shooting yourself in the foot.”

The Islanders penalty kill also turned in a solid effort on Tuesday, going a perfect 2-for-2 on the night after allowing a power-play goal in six straight games. The best moment for the shorthanded unit came in OT, when it fended off a 4-on-3 Kraken advantage after a Palmieri tripping penalty. Adam Pelech came up with a key block in the OT, shortly before the Islanders forced Seattle to take a penalty of their own.

“It’s been a struggle at times for sure, but the guys did a great job,” Ryan Pulock said. “Obviously, in overtime, we had a huge kill and a huge block to get us to the shootout to give ourselves another chance. Special teams are so important, and we know the PK has to be better.”

SOROKIN’S SOLID EFFORT IN GOALIE BATTLE WITH GRUBAUER:

Ilya Sorokin stood on his head to keep the Islanders in the game, making some big saves in key moments.

“Sorokin was so solid tonight,” Anders Lee said. “He’s seeing the puck right now and he’s the reason we got that point. Moving forward, if he plays the way he’s playing by seeing those pucks and saving those rebounds, we’ll have a chance to win every night. Kudos to Ilya to keep us in that game."

After Berniers scored, he and Jordan Eberle had a prime opportunity to bury his second goal of the night, but Sorokin made a timely pad save in the first period to keep it 1-0 in the first period. Sorokin made key saves when the game was knotted at one, robbing Andre Burakovsky in the third period and swatting away a Jamie Oleksiak shot with his glove to keep it 1-1. He came up big against Oleksiak again in overtime, where he didn’t allow a goal through the five-minute frame.

“He made some really good saves and key moments,” Pulock said. "There were some moments where the game can could have changed and he was there for us.”

Philipp Grubauer looked sharp after not playing since Dec. 9, only allowing one goal for the first time of the season through 17 appearances. He made 26 saves in the win for Seattle and stopped all three Isles attempts in the shootout.

ROMANOV RETURNS + LINEUP NOTES

The top six came out the gate with a new look, as Head Coach Patrick Roy sought out to experiment to find a spark.

Pierre Engvall started the game on a line with Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat, while Anders Lee joined Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri. Roy mentioned wanting to see if Engvall’s speed could provide a boost, but the new lines were short-lived. Engvall and Lee were swapped back with their regular linemates with about eight minutes left in the first frame.

“I didn’t think they were clicking,” Roy said. “Sometimes, as a coach it’s just a feeling. I didn’t sense they were clicking the way I thought they would.”

Alexander Romanov slotted back into the lineup after missing one game with a lower body injury. He had a strong performance on the blueline, blocking four shots, taking four shots (one on goal, three missed) in 21:08 TOI.