3 Takeaways: Isles Fall 6-3 to Red Wings 

The New York Islanders   saw their winless skid reach six games (0-5-1) as they fell 6-3 to the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night at Little Caesars Arena.

Mike Reilly scored for the Islanders in the second period, while JG Pageau and Mathew Barzal scored in a comeback effort midway through the third period, but it was not enough to overcome offense from Christian Fischer (1G, 2A), Andrew Copp (2G), Dylan Larkin (2G) and Patrick Kane. Ilya Sorokin made 18 saves in the loss, while James Reimer made 33 saves in the win.

“I thought we played well, from the start to the end,” Head Coach Patrick Roy said. “Maybe we squeezed our sticks too much in the in the first because we had two or three good chances and we didn't give them much. Then the second period, a couple bad bounces and a couple of turnovers. I know the name of the game is winning, but our guys played a really good game. [If they] play this game again, and I'm pretty sure we would win it."

With the loss, the Islanders (73 points) are five points back of the Red Wings (78 points) for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Isles still hold a game in hand.

STANDINGS IMPLICATIONS:

The Islanders entered the game with a lot on the line in a pivotal matchup, facing a team they’re directly competing with in the tight playoff race in the Eastern Conference. A win would have put the Isles (73 points) one point behind the Red Wings but instead the regulation loss created a five-point deficit between themselves and the Red Wings (78 points), who padded their second wild card status in the Eastern Conference. The Isles still hold a game in hand on the Red Wings.

Elsewhere, the Philadelphia Flyers picked up a point in a 3-2 OT loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. The Isles trail the Flyers (79 points) by six points for third in the Metropolitan Division with a game in-hand.

With only 13 games remaining, the Islanders are running out of time to squeeze into the playoffs, but the team has been consistent all season with an even-keel mentality that has them focusing on the task at-hand.

"We know the standings, but right now we want to focus one game at a time," Pageau said. "That's our main focus when we come into the rink. Focus on the next game, so now it's [about] Saturday. Let's focus on that and go from there."

GOALS IN BUNCHES, SECOND PERIOD, SINKS ISLES: 

The Islanders played a tight first period, but the team’s propensity for second period slumps and allowing goals in bunches Proved costly on Thursday night.

After Christian Fischer scored on a breakaway at 11:15 of the second period, the Islanders responded 2:10 later, as Mike Reilly rifled off a shot from the point that trickled through the legs of Reimer to tie the game at one apiece at 13:25 of the second period.

The response led to a power play, as Michael Rasmussen went off for hooking Bo Horvat, but instead of capitalizing the Red Wings killed it off and Andrew Copp netted the go-ahead goal shortly after, cleaning up the loose change at the side of the crease into the exposed net.

"When it was a 1-1 game and we had that power play and didn't score and the [Red Wings] scored right after, that was the key one of the key moments in the game," Roy said.

The Red Wings broke open the game 2:08 after Copp’s goal, as Dylan Larkin beamed a shot from the left circle to record his team-leading 27^th goal of the season while extending the Red Wings lead to 3-1 at 18:08 of the frame. It was the captain’s first game back from an injury that sidelined him for eight contests.

The Islanders, who have been struggling as of late in the middle frame, allowed three goals in the second period for the third consecutive road game.

The Red Wings continued to push in the third period, as Copp scored 5:12 into the third period to make it a three-goal game. The Islanders gave up another goal in a short span, as Patrick Kane scored 1:10 after Copp’s second goal to take a commanding 5-1 lead.

“[Roy] came out to talk to us after the second and said let’s go out and try to win in the third period,” Reilly said. “Not the start we could have had there.”

Down by four goals, the Islanders showed some fight. Pageau scored on the power play, ending an 0-for-7 drought on the man advantage, jamming the loose puck into the net at 9:34 of the third. Mathew Barzal wristed a shot from the right circle that deflected off a Detroit stick beat Reimer to pull the Islanders within two goals. Horvat had a chance to make it 5-4, but was robbed by Reimer and eventually Larkin buried an empty net goal for his second goal of the night at 16:15.

As the Islanders look towards a weekend back-to-back, they point to the third period as evidence of a no-quitmenaltiy, even in the face of adversity. 

"There are no quitters on this team," Pageau said. "We didn't get the result we want, we're going to look back at the game, see what we can do better. Everyone can embrace the challenge and get ready to start a winning streak and that's kind of our mindset right now."

BORTUZZO RETURNS, LINES CHANGE:

The Islanders debuted a trio of new-look lines against the Red Wings, and saw the return of veteran Robert Bortuzzo on the blue line.

Mathew Barzal shifted from right wing to center on a line with Anders Lee and Hudson Fasching. Fasching skated 13:36 and had some quality chances for the Isles, recording three shots on goal and two hits. Fasching missed significant time with a lower-body injury and has played three of the last six games since returning.

Pierre Engvall drew back into the lineup for Matt Martin. Engvall, who was a healthy scratch on Tuesday against the Hurricanes and skated with Pageau and Simon Holmstrom, skated 13:58 and tallied an assist.

Kyle MacLean shifted from center to left wing on a line with Casey Cizikas and Cal Clutterbuck.The line of Brock Nelson, Bo Horvat and Kyle Palmieri stayed together.

Robert Bortuzzo drew into the lineup after missing 31 games with a lower-body injury. He skated in a pair with Mike Reilly, skating 12:19 and recording two hits.

NEXT GAME:

The Islanders return home for a weekend back-to-back, starting Saturday at 1 p.m. against the Winnipeg Jets.