3 Takeaways: Isles Let Late Lead Slip in 6-5 Loss to Canucks

The New York Islanders fell 6-5 against the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night, putting their four-game win streak to a halt.
"This one hurts for sure," Brock Nelson said after the loss. "Being up 4-2, to think we can close it out at home against a team on a back-to-back, we made too many mistakes."

Kyle Palmieri, Brock Nelson, Mat Barzal (1G, 2A), Bo Horvat (1G, 1A) and Noah Dobson (1G, 1A) scored for New York, but the five-goal performance fell short against Vancouver's six tallies from Brock Boeser (1G, 2A), Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Elias Pettersson (2G, 1A), Anthony Beavillier (GWG) and Nils Aman.
After only allowing two goals total in a four-game win streak, the flood gates opened as the Islanders allowed six goals for just the second time all season and first since Dec. 6. In the process, Ilya Sorokin's shutout streak ended at 144:00, as the goaltender let in six goals for the first time this season.
"It just wasn't a good enough effort," Noah Dobson said, who scored with 0:49 left in a last-ditch attempt at a comeback. "[Vancouver] competed hard. We have to find a way to match that."
The offense wasn't an issue for New York in the loss, as the Islanders put up five goals, scoring four or more in back-to-back games for the first time since Dec. 23-27.
The Islanders top-ranked home penalty kill had an off night in Thursday's loss, allowing two power-play goals at home for the first time since Dec. 2 against the Nashville Predators.
With the regulation loss, the Islanders (59 points) missed a chance to leapfrog the idle Penguins (59 points) and Capitals (60 points) and jump back into a Wild Card berth.

ISLES LOSE 4-2 LEAD

The Islanders were seemingly in a good spot after burying four goals through two periods, but let a 4-2 lead slip by allowing four goals in the final 24 minutes.
CANUCKS 6, ISLANDERS 5
ISLANDERS ARTICLES
Gamecenter
Rapid Recap
ISLES-CANUCKS VIDEO
Full Highlights
Postgame: Lambert
Postgame: Palmieri
Postgame: Horvat
Postgame: Dobson
KINGER'S CALLS
Palmieri Goes Top Shelf
Nelson Scores 20th
Barzal's One-Timer
Horvat's Second as an Islander
Nils Adam deposited an Phillip Di Giuseppe rebound to cut the deficit to 4-3 at the end of the second period, and the Vancouver comeback continued from there. The Canucks tied the game at four goals apiece with Elias Pettersson's one-timer on the power play at 4:38 of the third period, while he buried his second consecutive goal less than four minutes later. Former Islander Anthony Beauvillier, who received a warm welcome during a video tribute in the first period, followed up with a late power-play goal in the third period - which held up as the game winner - to burn the Islanders.
"When you're up 4-2 late in the second period and don't win the hockey game, you feel like you let something slip away," Head Coach Lane Lambert said. "There's a sense of frustration in that."
The Islanders had control through the better part of the contest, but defensive mistakes were the culprit in the loss, as the Islanders recorded 23 giveaways in the loss.
"Thought we just didn't break the puck out well," Dobson said. "Too many turnovers and I think overall it's just not a good enough effort. We definitely have to be better than that."
"It was a complete 180 from the other night when we talked about how well we broke pucks out," Lambert said.

ISLES TOP LINE BUILDS CHEMISTRY:

The bright spot after a disappointing loss is the developing chemistry among the Islanders top line, as Barzal, Horvat and Josh Bailey all hit the scoresheet against Vancouver on Thursday.
The trio put up a combined eight points (4G, 4A) in a three-game spurt.
"Hor-vat" chants rung throughout UBS Arena for the second straight game, as the recent acquisition scored his second goal as an Islander - in his first game against his former team. Horvat's 33rd goal leads the Islanders and lifts him to sixth in the NHL in goals.
After spending parts of nine seasons with the Canucks, Horvat felt a mix of emotions facing his former team for the first time, just three games after the big trade.
Barzal has put up at least a point in every single career game played against the Canucks. The Coquitlam native has 15 points over nine games, including his three-point (1G, 2A) performance tonight. Barzal is now riding a four-game point streak with six points (3G, 3A) over that span.

NELSON STAYS HOT, HITS 20-GOAL MARK FOR SEVENTH TIME:

Brock Nelson extended his career-long point streak to nine games, breaking the double digits over that span with 10 points (5G, 5A).
Nelson rushed down the ice on a takeaway to firing off a wrister past Colin Delia to even the score at two in the first period, scoring his 20th goal of the season in the process. His nine-game point streak is the longest of his career, and his efforts haven't gone unnoticed in the Islanders locker room.
"He always contributes," Matt Martin said of Nelson before the game. "He finds ways to be effective. He's responsible defensively, penalty killer, power play guy 6-on-5, you name it. He's one of the guys who does everything for us."
Nelson has now hit the 20-goal mark for the seventh time in his career, is 10 points away from tying his career-best 59 points, achieved last season through 72 games.

NEXT GAME:

The Islanders travel to Montreal to take on the Canadiens on Saturday afternoon. Puck drop is at 12:30 p.m.